Leporiconus paratethyianus
Creators: name: Harzhauser, Mathias
name: Landau, Bernard
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Neogastropoda
Conidae
Leporiconus
Leporiconus paratethyianus

description: Leporiconus paratethyianus nov. sp.
Figs 17 K, 23A1–A3, 23B1–B3, 23C1–C3
? Varioconus pelagicus (Brocchi, 1814) — Kovács & Vicián 2013 (partim): 87 [non Lautoconus pelagicus (Brocchi, 1814)].
Holotype: Figs 23A 1 –A3, 17K: SL: 34.6 mm, MD: 17.8 mm, NHMW 2016/0005/0001.
Paratype: Figs 23 B1–B3: SL: 32.6 mm, MD: 16.3 mm, NHMW 2016/0005/0002.
Paratype: Figs 23 C1–C2: SL: 30.8 mm, MD: 16.9 mm, NHMW 2016/0005/0003a.
Additional material: 1 specimen NHMW 2016 /0005/0003, all specimens from Letkés, Hungary.
Type stratum: fossil-rich marly sand with coral blocks and andesite boulders of the Sámsonháza Formation (Császár 1997).
Type locality: Letkés at the western part of the Börzsöny Mts. (Hungary); see Kovács & Vicián (2013) for a map and description.
Age: Middle Miocene, early Badenian (= Langhian).
Etymology: Referring to the Paratethys Sea.
Description. Moderately small biconical to stout torpedo-shaped shell with moderately high conical to weakly cyrtoconoid spire and conical last whorl. Early spire whorls gradate, tuberculate along lower suture, striate; later spire whorls high, moderately convex, distinctly striate; suture impressed, narrowly canaliculated, undulating. Subsutural flexure shallow, weakly curved, moderately asymmetrical. Last whorl conical, squat, with broadly rounded, sometimes weakly angulated rounded shoulder; not constricted at base. Narrow aperture strongly narrowing at posterior canal, weakly broadening towards short, straight siphonal canal. Siphonal fasciole indistinct. Sculpture of last whorl consisting of densely spaced spirals of tiny beads, which are also roughly axially arranged. Lower half of last whorl with prominent, beaded spiral cords. Colour pattern under UV light consisting of narrow, axially elongate flammulae on spire whorls and very dense, regular pattern of spirally arranged tiny dots, coinciding with beads on last whorl.
Shell measurements and ratios. Only 4 specimens are available, of these three are adult: SL: 34.6/32.6/ 30.8 mm, MD: 17,8/16.3/ 16.9 mm, spire angle: 85/83/98°, last whorl angle: 39/37/36°, LW: 1.94/2.00/1.82, RD: 0.70/ 0.68/0.66, PMD: 0.86/0.83/0.79, RSH: 0.26/0.26/0.17.
Discussion. We place this species in Leporiconus based on the beaded spiral cords, the tuberculate early spire whorls and the striate spire whorls. The tiny dotted colour pattern coinciding with the beads is also seen in the type species L. glans. This is a very peculiar species, which is characterised by its stout torpedo-shaped outline and the densely beaded sculpture. In their paper on the Conidae from Letkés, Kovács & Vicián (2013) might have partly referred to this species as Lautoconus pelagicus (Brocchi, 1814) as they mention beads and small tubercles in their description. Lautoconus pelagicus differs in its larger size, smooth shell surface, slightly recurved siphonal canal and completely different colour pattern (se Pinna & Spezia 1978; Landau et. al. 2013). Leporiconus transsylvanicus (Hoernes & Auinger, 1879) is congeneric, but differs in its more slender torpedo-like shell with a longer last whorl, higher position of the shoulder, lower spire and less prominent sculpture.
Paleoenvironment. The locality Letkés comprises a mixed assemblage of partly reworked taxa (Kovács & Vicián 2013); the frequent occurrence of corals suggests a shallow marine depositional environment.
Distribution in Paratethys. Badenian (middle Miocene): Pannonian Basin: Letkés (Hungary).
description: Published as part of Harzhauser, Mathias & Landau, Bernard, 2016, A revision of the Neogene Conidae and Conorbidae (Gastropoda) of the Paratethys Sea, pp. 1-178 in Zootaxa 4210 (1) on page 98, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4210.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/252966