Pazinotus aster Harzhauser, Landau & Merle, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Harzhauser, Mathias
name: Landau, Bernard M.
name: Merle, Didier
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Neogastropoda
Muricidae
Pazinotus
Pazinotus aster

description: Pazinotus aster sp. nov.
Figs 14, 18A–D
Aspella (Aspella) typhioides (Mayer, 1869) — Bałuk 1995: 219, pl. 25, fig. 5 [non Pazinotus typhioides (Mayer, 1869)]. Murexsul typhioides (Mayer, 1869) — Kovács et al. 2018: 120, figs. 5K, 6A–C [non Pazinotus typhioides (Mayer, 1869)]. Murexsul typhioides (Mayer, 1869) — Kovács 2020: 455, pl. 2, figs. 12–13 [non Pazinotus typhioides (Mayer, 1869)].
Type material. Holotype: NHMW 1865/0001/0619a, SL: 11.4 mm, MD: 6.2 mm, Niederleis (Austria), figs. 18A 1 – A 3. Paratypes: NHMW 1858/0015/0117, SL: 12.0 mm, MD: 7.2 mm, Rousínov (Raussnitz) (Czech Republic), figs. 18B 1 –B 3. NHMW 1865/0001/0619b, SL: 10.5 mm, MD: 5.5 mm, Niederleis (Austria), figs. 18C 1 –C 3. NHMW 1863/0015/0470, SL: 8.2 mm, MD: 4.9 mm, Forchtenau (Austria), figs. 18D 1 –D 3.
Type locality. Niederleis (Austria), Vienna Basin.
Type stratum. Baden Formation.
Age. Middle Miocene, middle Badenian (Langhian).
Etymology. aster, Ancient Greek for star, referring to the star-like outline in apical view.
Diagnosis. Small, solid, stocky fusiform shell with relatively high spire and convex last whorl with low base; seven very prominent, raised varices aligned axially, resulting in star-like outline in apical view; weak spiral sculpture.
Description. Small, solid, stocky fusiform shell; apical angle ~55°. Protoconch unknown. Teleoconch of up to five whorls. Suture impressed, shallowly undulating. Early whorls with broad subsutural ramp, angled shoulder placed slightly below mid-whorl, weakly constricted below. Axial sculpture of seven very prominent, widely spaced ribs. Spiral sculpture worn, prominent P1 and P 2 in interspaced between axial ribs. Last whorl attaining ~62–65% of total height; moderately steep subsutural ramp, angled shoulder, convex periphery, moderately constricted below. Seven (rarely six) strongly raised, widely spaced, weakly foliose varices, aligned axially. Cords adis, abis weak, IP slightly more prominent; P1 prominent along shoulder, P2 weak, P3, P4, more prominent, P5, P6, ADP weak. Secondary cords s1, s2 almost as strong as primary cords or weak; abis weak. Fasciole slightly swollen, delimiting deep, narrow pseudoumbilicus. Aperture small, narrowly ovate. Outer lip strongly thickened. ID prominent or missing, D1–D4 moderately prominent. Anal canal wide, indistinct. Siphonal canal moderately short, open, moderately narrow, bent to the left. Columella broadly excavated, smooth, angled at siphonal canal. Columellar callus forming broad, sharply delimited rim; erect at siphonal canal, adherent in parietal area.
Discussion. Since Bałuk (1995), Pazinotus aster sp. nov. has been confused with Pazinotus typhioides (Mayer, 1869), which was originally described from the Langhian of the Loire Basin. Pazinotus typhioides, however, differs distinctly in its slenderer outline, higher, less convex last whorl and higher base and it has P1–P5 equally strong (see Mayer 1869: 83, pl. 3, fig. 6; Cossmann & Peyrot 1924: 143, no. 762, pl. 14, figs. 14–15; Glibert 1952: 296, pl. 6, fig. 8; Merle et al. 2022: 400, pl. 116, figs. 2–9). Pazinotus typhioides occurred in the northeastern Atlantic from the Burdigalian to the Langhian (Merle et al. 2022), whereas P. aster is known so far only from the Badenian of the Central Paratethys Sea.
Paleoenvironment. The Niederleis section, sediment and biota from coastal and lagoonal environments not exceeding 30 m water depth were transported by tempestites into offshore settings (Mandic et al. 2002). Occurrences at Letkés (Hungary) point to inner neritic environments with corals (Kovács & Vicián 2014).
Distribution in Central Paratethys. Badenian (Middle Miocene): Korytnica Basin: Korytnica (Bałuk 1995); Carpathian Foreland Basin: Rousínov (Raussnitz) (Czech Republic) (hoc opus); Vienna Basin: Niederleis (Austria) (hoc opus); Eisenstadt-Sopron Basin: Forchtenau (Austria) (hoc opus), Pannonian Basin: Letkés (Hungary) (Kovács et al. 2018); Bakony Mountains: Bánd (Hungary) (Kovács 2020).
description: Published as part of Harzhauser, Mathias, Landau, Bernard M. & Merle, Didier, 2025, The Muricidae (Gastropoda, Muricoidea) of the Miocene Paratethys Sea (Aspellinae, Ergalataxinae, Coralliophilinae, Rapaninae), pp. 1-106 in Zootaxa 5611 (1) on pages 34-35, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5611.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/15215738