Zoltania, Harzhauser & Landau & Merle, 2025

Harzhauser, Mathias, Landau, Bernard M. & Merle, Didier, 2025, The Muricidae (Gastropoda, Muricoidea) of the Miocene Paratethys Sea (Aspellinae, Ergalataxinae, Coralliophilinae, Rapaninae), Zootaxa 5611 (1), pp. 1-106 : 89-90

Zoltania styriaca ( Hilber, 1879)

Figs 48 , 50A–C

* Purpura styriaca Stur — Hilber 1879: 431, pl. 2, figs. 9–10.

Purpura styriaca Stur —Hoernes & Auinger 1879: 150, pl. 16, figs. 6–8.

Purpura styriaca Stur — Csepreghy-Meznerics 1950: 399, pl. 2, figs. 3–4.

Purpura styriaca Stur — Csepreghy-Meznerics 1954: 36.

Purpura styriaca Stur — Kókay 1966: 57, pl. 8, fig. 1.

Drupa styriaca Stur (in Hilber), 1879— Strausz 1966: 284, text-fig. 130.

Muricodrupa? styriaca ( Hilber, 1879) — Kovács 2019: 133, figs. 63–64.

non Cymia (s. l.) cf. styriaca ( Hilber, 1879) — Lozouet 2023: 40, pl. 34, figs. 11–15.

Type material. Lectotype (designated herein): Inv. Nr. 200131, Universalmuseum Graz, Gamlitz ( Austria), SL: 41.8 mm, MD: 31.1 mm, illustrated in Hilber (1879: pl. 2, fig. 10), figs. 50A 1 –A 3. The paralectotype from Gamlitz ( Austria), illustrated in Hilber (1879: pl. 2, fig. 9), was stored at the Geosphere Austria (= Geological Survey Vienna) but was destroyed in WWII.

Illustrated material. NHMW 1868/001/0367, SL: 37.1 mm, MD: 26.7 mm, Gamlitz ( Austria), figs. 50B 1 –B 3. NHMW 1867/0019/0064, SL: 14.1 mm, MD: 9.3 mm, CoŞteiu de Sus ( Romania), illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1879: pl. 16, fig. 8), figs. 50C 1 –C 3.

Revised description. Medium-sized, solid, stocky biconic shell with low conical spire; apical angle ~70°. Protoconch worn, low conical. Teleoconch of up to four whorls. Early teleoconch whorls low, with very broad, shallow, weakly concave subsutural ramp, shoulder placed at or just above suture. About ten broad axial ribs, fading adapically, overrun by prominent SP, IP and abis; P1 placed just above suture. Last whorl attaining ~80% of total height, with broad, strongly scabrose subsutural collar, concave subsutural ramp, strongly angled shoulder, slowly contracting below; fasciole broad, flattish, delimiting broad shallow pseudoumbilicus. About ten broad axial ribs weakening over base. P1 prominent with pointed tubercles along shoulder; P2 prominent, bifid, tubercular; P3–P4 broad, flattened, often bifid; s1–s5 prominent, slightly scabrose; P5, P6 prominent with weak spiral grooves. Aperture elongate ovate. Outer lip thickened, with paired crenulations at edge, with weak ID; D1–D4 small, placed short distance behind peristome, not connected to crenulations; D1–D3 bifid, D4 simple. Anal canal distinctly incised, narrow, forming sinus that extends to outer edge of lip, accentuated by weak, broad parietal denticle. Siphonal canal short, open, wide, slightly dorsally recurved. Columella straight, with prominent, broad central columellar fold. Columellar callus broad and thick.

Discussion. Zoltania styriaca was placed by Lozouet (2023) in Cymia (s.l.). Cymia Mörch, 1860 [type species Cuma sulcata Swainson, 1840 [= Cymia tectum ( Wood, 1828) ]; present-day, eastern Pacific] as currently listed in MolluscaBase Eds. (2024b) is restricted to the eastern Pacific but during the Neogene had a wider distribution in both the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic ( Landau et al. 2016: 167) Its type species has a biconic shell with comparatively high spire due to a broad and steep subsutural ramp. No additional prominent primary cords and nodes or spines are developed on the conical base. Thus, shape and sculpture of Cymia is very different from the Miocene Paratethyan species and a close relation between them is unlikely.

The specimens from the Burdigalian of Léognan ( France), described by Lozouet (2023: pl. 34, figs. 11–15) as Cymia (s. l.) cf. styriaca , is less stocky, slightly higher spired, narrower at the fasciole, has lirae instead denticles within outer lip and probably represents a separate species.

Paleoenvironment. Shallow marine, inner neritic lagoonal environments.

Distribution in Central Paratethys. Styrian Basin: Gamlitz, St. Anna ( Austria) ( Hilber 1879); Cserhát Hills: Sámsonháza ( Hungary) ( Kovács 2019); Bakony Mountains: Bánd ( Hungary) ( Kovács 2020); Făget Basin: CoŞteiu de Sus ( Romania) ( Kovács 2019).

Genus Menathais Iredale, 1937

Type species. Purpura pica de Blainville, 1832 [= Menathais tuberosa ( Röding, 1798) ]; original designation by Iredale (1937: 256). Present-day, Indo-West Pacific.

Discussion. As stressed by Iredale (1937) in his brief diagnosis, Menathais species, such as Menathais bimaculata ( Jonas, 1845) and Menathais tuberosa ( Röding, 1798) , are characterized by a lirate aperture, although these lirae may be subobsolete in many specimens. Menathais viciani lacks lirae but occasionally develops five small denticles (ID, D1–D4) and an atrophied P3 are also developed by some specimens of Menathais tuberosa .

Acanthais Vermeij & Kool, 1994 [type species Buccinum brevidentatum Wood, 1828 ; present-day, Eastern Pacific] differs from Menathais in the presence of a columellar fold and a weak labral spine close to P4. The extant Eastern Pacific Penethais triangularis (de Blainville, 1832) , type species of the genus Penethais Vermeij, 2024 ( Vermeij 2024), lacks both features and is similar to Menathais viciani . It differs by having lirae within the aperture, by lacking P4 and P3 is not atrophied P6.

Extant species of Menathais are restricted to the Indo-West Pacific Region. The Middle Miocene Menathais viciani Kovács, 2018 is the only representative of this genus known from the Neogene of the Circum-Mediterranean Region. This is an interesting observation, because during the Middle Miocene, the seaway between the Proto-Mediterranean Sea (and Paratethys) and the Indo-West Pacific was already closed. Therefore, we assume that there must have existed a yet unknown representative of this genus already during the Early Miocene in the Proto-Mediterranean Sea, which gave rise to Menathais viciani .

Figures

FIGURE 48. Cord diagrams and apertural features of Rapaninae.

FIGURE 50. Zoltania styriaca (Hilber, 1879). A1–A3. Lectotype, Inv. Nr. 200131, Universalmuseum Graz, Gamlitz (Austria). B1–B3. NHMW 1868/001/0367, Gamlitz (Austria). C1–C3. NHMW 1867/0019/0064, CoŞteiu de Sus (Romania).