Hemiacirsa superelongata, Harzhauser & Landau, 2025

Harzhauser, Mathias & Landau, Bernard M., 2025, The Epitoniidae (Gastropoda, Epitonioidea) of the Miocene Central Paratethys Sea-an overwhelming diversity, Zootaxa 5630 (1), pp. 1-142 : 72-73

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5630.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:89462472-D932-4255-880F-C6EF15220A31
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03D787A4-FFA2-FFAC-FF3F-FF2EFA209549
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Hemiacirsa superelongata
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Hemiacirsa superelongata sp. nov.

Figs, 23D–F, 24H–I

Type material. Holotype, NHMW 2024 View Materials /0280/0002, SL: 13.8 mm, MD: 2.6 mm, CoŞteiu de Sus ( Romania), Figs 23D View FIGURE 23 1 –D View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 , 24I View FIGURE 24 . Paratypes, NHMW 2024 View Materials /0280/0003, SL: 13.1 mm , MD: 2.8 mm, CoŞteiu de Sus ( Romania), Figs 23E View FIGURE 23 1 –E View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 . NHMW 2024 View Materials /0280/0004, SL: 12.4 mm , MD: 2.7 mm, CoŞteiu de Sus ( Romania), Figs 23F View FIGURE 23 1 –F View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 , 24H View FIGURE 24 .

Type locality. CoŞteiu de Sus ( Romania), Făget Basin .

Type stratum. Silt and clay of the Dej Formation.

Age. Middle Miocene, Badenian (Langhian).

Etymology. superelongata , referring to the extremely slender and elongate outline.

Diagnosis. Medium-sized, very slender shell with almost flat-sided whorls, superficially incised suture, broad, low, blurred axial ribs, fine spiral cords in interspaces forming vaguely cancellate/rectangular sculpture on subsutural ramp.

Description. Shell medium-sized, very slender (apical angle ~10–11°). Protoconch unknown. Teleoconch of up to 13 very high whorls, with very steep, weakly concave subsutural ramp and faintly convex periphery placed below mid-whorl. Suture superficial, linear. Sculpture of moderately close-set, low, convex, somewhat blurred axial ribs, not aligned axially, fading over subsutural ramp (10: 12: 12); ribs orthocline on early whorls, weakly prosocline on later whorls. Interspaces between ribs with about ten spiral cords, including cords at adapical and abapical suture, forming vaguely cancellate/rectangular sculpture especially on subsutural ramp. Last whorl attaining 28% of total height, axial ribs fading at basal angulation delimited by with weak peribasal cord, base weakly convex bearing about five spiral cords. Aperture elongate ovate, columella weakly convex. Outer lip slightly thickened, basal lip thin, relatively narrow. Columellar callus forming narrow, attached rim, parietal callus delicate. Peristome simple. No umbilicus.

Discussion. This species is reminiscent of Hemiacirsa miocenica ( Seguenza, 1880) but differs in its much smaller size, even slenderer outline, less convex whorls, wider basal angulation and weaker axial ribs on early teleoconch whorls. Hemiacirsa lanceolata ( Brocchi, 1814) differs in its much larger size, subcylindrical whorls, marked basal angulation and comparatively more irregular, fold-like axial ribs. Hemiacirsa drevermanni (de Boury in Cossmann, 1912) is stockier, has more prominent axial ribs and broader, less numerous spiral cords. Hemiacirsa taurolanceolata ( Sacco, 1891) , from the Burdigalian of the Colli Torinesi ( Italy), differs in its straight-sided whorls, more numerous axial ribs and wider aperture (see Sacco 1891: pl. 2, fig. 98 bis).

Paleoenvironment. Unknown.

Distribution in Central Paratethys. Badenian (Middle Miocene): Făget Basin: CoŞteiu de Sus ( Romania) (hoc opus).

Genus Hirtoscala Monterosato, 1890

Type species. Scalaria cantrainei Weinkauff, 1866 View in CoL = Hirtoscala muricata ( Risso, 1826) ].Present-day, Mediterranean Sea.

Diagnosis. “ Medium size ; shape turriculate, stocky, conical or subpyramidal; spire mediocrely elongated, with convex and disjointed whorls adorned with continuous lamellae, which are thin and reflexed, strongly spiny behind, and fused from one whorl to the other over the sutures which are perforated in the lamellae intervals; no spiral ornamentation. Last whorl about one third of the total height, a little depressed at the base, which is imperforate and over which the reflexed lamellae extend, down to the center where there is only a rudimentary cord. Aperture obliquely oval, slightly narrowed posteriorly, with a peristome that is broadly reflexed and continuous, in an almost vertical plane: the inner, varnished layer, slightly thinned in the parietal region, spreads out everywhere else over the outer, discontinuous layer; labrum provided posteriorly with a pointed spine.” (translated from Cossmann 1912: 32).

Discussion. Species placed herein in Hirtoscala are reminiscent of species placed in Spiniscala de Boury, 1909 in the paleontological literature. Spiniscala , however, was already introduced by de Boury in Ivolas & Peyrot, 1900 with Scalaria trevelyana Johnston, 1841 , as type species by monotypy (present-day, northeastern Atlantic). De Boury (1909a: 257) introduced Spiniscala again as new genus with the fossil Scalaria frondicula Wood, 1848 (North Sea), as type species. Therefore, Spiniscala de Boury, 1909 is a homonym of Spiniscala de Boury in Ivolas & Peyrot, 1900. To complicate things, Ivolas & Peyrot (1900) and Peyrot (1938) referred to specimens from the Langhian of Pontlevoy ( France), which were not illustrated and might not be conspecific with the extant northeastern Spiniscala trevelyana . Spiniscala trevelyana is reminiscent of species placed herein in Hirtoscala Monterosato, 1890 but lack a coronate shoulder. Cossmann (1912), referring to Spiniscala de Boury, 1909 , pointed out that the differences between Spiniscala and Hirtoscala are subtle at best. Both coronate and more or less gradate but the axial lamellae were said to be fused across the suture in Hirtoscala but separated from each other in Spiniscala . In addition, Cossmann (1912) considered the axial interspaces to be smooth and glossy in Hirtoscala but dull in Spiniscala . We are not convinced of these differences and tentatively prefer to treat Spiniscala de Boury, 1909 as subjective junior synonym of Hirtoscala .

Foveoscala de Boury, 1909 [type species Scalaria reflexa Carpenter, 1856 , present-day, eastern Pacific] was treated as synonym of Hirtoscala by Cossmann (1912: 32). Consequently, DuShane (1974: 42) placed Scalaria reflexa Carpenter, 1856 in Hirtoscala (see Palmer 1963: 331, pl. 63, figs 5–6 for the holotype of Scalaria reflexa ). Later, the type species of Foveoscala was placed in Lamelliscala de Boury, 1909 [type species Scalaria fasciata G.B. Sowerby II, 1844 ] by Weil et al. (1999: fig. 468). Thus, Foveoscala would become a subjective synonym of Lamelliscala both being published simultaneously by de Boury (1909a). However, Lamelliscala fasciata has well defined lamellae with strongly rolled over crests (see Weil et al. 1999: fig. 147), whereas Hirtoscala / Foveoscala reflexa has flaring lamellae, which form trigonal spines along the shoulder. In addition, Kilburn (1985: 290) and Weil et al. (1999: 211) emphasized a closed umbilicus as important feature to distinguish Hirtoscala from Lamelliscala .