Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831 )

Harzhauser, Mathias, Landau, Bernard M. & Merle, Didier, 2025, The Muricidae (Gastropoda, Muricoidea) of the Miocene Central Paratethys Sea (Haustrinae, Muricinae, Ocenebrinae, Pagodulinae, Typhinae, Muricidae incertae sedis), Zootaxa 5572 (1), pp. 1-162 : 121-123

Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831)

Figs 52 , 60A–D

* [ Murex ] heptagonatus sp. nov. — Bronn 1831: 35.

Murex Astensis Bell.— Bellardi & Michelotti 1840: 167, pl. 3, figs 18–19.

Murex clavus mihi— Michelotti 1841: 20, pl. 5, figs 2–3.

Murex heptagonatus Bronn — Michelotti 1841: 21, pl. 4, figs 5–6.

[ Murex ] heptagonatus Brn. — Hauer 1837: 418.

[ Murex ] heptagonatus Bronn — Hörnes 1848: 18.

Murex heptagonatus Bronn —Hörnes 1853: 255, pl. 26, figs 2a–c.

Murex Altavillae mihi— Libassi 1859: 40, pl. 1, fig. 17.

Murex heptagonatus Bronn —D’Ancona 1871: 21, pl. 7, fig. 10.

Murex heptagonatus Bronn — Bellardi 1873: 67.

Murex (Muricidea) heptagonatus Bronn —Hoernes & Auinger 1885: 205, pl. 24, figs 5–8.

Murex (Muricidea) heptagonatus Bronn — Boettger 1906: 41.

Murex (?) heptagonatus Brn. — Sacco 1904: 19, pl. 5, fig. 16.

Murex (?) heptagonatus var. pliovaricosa Sacc. — Sacco 1904: 20, pl. 5, figs 17–18.

A [spella]. (F [avartia].) heptogonata (Bronn)— Sieber 1958: 145.

Muricopsis heptagonatus Bronn 1831 —Kojumdgieva in Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov 1960: 147, pl. 40, fig. 5. Murex (Paziella) heptagonatus Bronn, 1831 (an var. nov.)— Strausz 1966: 263, pl. 55, fig. 11, pl. 56, figs 1–3. [ Homalocantha ] heptagonatus Bronn, 1831 — Vokes 1971: 57.

Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831) — Malatesta 1974: 284.

Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831) — Stojaspal 1978: 339, pl. 5, fig. 7.

Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831) — Inzani & Bertarelli 1985: 30, pl. 3, fig. 7.

Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831) — Andreoli & Marsigli 1992: 8, pl. 3, fig. 1.

Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831) — Damarco 1993: 75, unnumbered fig.

Hexaplex (Paziella) heptagonatus (Bronn) — Nikolov 1994: 49, pl. 1, figs 5–6.

Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831) — Bałuk 1995: 216, pl. 22, figs 3–5.

Aspella (Favartia) heptagonata (Bronn) — Schultz 1998: 66, pl. 26, fig. 7.

Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831) — Chirli 2000: 17, pl. 9, figs 1–3.

Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831) — Lagarde 2003: 51, figs 5, 6.

Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831) — Bałuk 2006: 207, pl. 11, fig. 7.

Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831) — Landau et al. 2007: 24, text-fig. 5.

Homalocantha heptagonata (Bronn) — Landau et al. 2013: p. 150, pl. 22, fig. 3.

Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831) — Kovács et al. 2018: 117, figs 3T–U.

Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831) — Kovács 2019: 121.

Homalocantha heptagonata ( Bronn, 1831) — Merle et al. 2022: 418, pl. 125, figs 4–9.

Type material. We are not aware of the whereabouts of the type material.

Illustrated material. NHMW 1855/0002/0081, SL: 33.5 mm, MD: 19.7 mm, Steinebrunn ( Austria), illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1885: pl. 24, figs 6a–b), Figs 60A 1 –A 3 . NHMW 1874/0025/0035, SL: 45.9 mm, MD: 32.8 mm, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania), Figs 60B 1 –B 3 . NHMW 1999z0098/0011a, SL: 27.7 mm, MD: 22.2 mm, Enzesfeld ( Austria), illustrated in Hörnes (1853: pl. 26, figs 2a–c), Figs 60C 1 –C 3 . NHMW 1999z0098/0011b, SL: 35.3 mm, MD: 26.5 mm, Enzesfeld ( Austria), Figs 60D 1 –D 3 .

Additional material. NHMW 1855 /0045/0902, SL: 33.3 mm, MD: 19.2 mm, Bad Vöslau, illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1885: pl. 24, figs 5a–b); 6 spec. , NHMW 1866 /0001/1067, Forchtenau ( Austria); 7 spec. , NHMW A251 , Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania); 13 spec. , NHMW 1973 /0026/0017, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania) .

Description. See Landau et al. (2007: 25); for a detailed analysis of sculptural elements see Merle (2002: fig. 2) and Merle et al. (2022: 144, fig. 59C, NHMW2019/0178/024 from Bad Vöslau).

Discussion. A relatively rare species with distinctive shell that cannot be confused with any other species in the Paratethyan assemblages. Homalocantha heptagonata displays a wide variability in sculpture and many specimens are encrusted.

Paleoenvironment. Shallow marine, inner neritic.

Distribution in Central Paratethys. Badenian (Middle Miocene): Korytnica Basin: Korytnica ( Bałuk 1995); North Alpine-Carpathian Foreland Basin: Grund ( Austria) (Hoernes & Auinger 1885); Vienna Basin: Enzesfeld, Niederleis, Steinebrunn ( Austria) (Hoernes & Auinger 1885); Pannonian Basin: Szob, Letkés ( Hungary) ( Strausz 1966; Kovács et al. 2018); Bakony Mountains: Bánd ( Hungary)( Kovács 2020); Eisenstadt-Sopron Basin: Forchtenau ( Austria) (Hoernes & Auinger 1885); Făget Basin: Coşteiu de Sus; Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania) (Hoernes & Auinger 1885; Kovács 2019); Dacian Basin: Târnene ( Bulgaria) ( Nikolov 1994).

Mediterranean Sea. Pliocene: Toscana: Orciano Pisano ( Italy) ( Chirli 2000), Estepona Basin: Estepona ( Spain) ( Landau et al. 2007); see Landau et al. (2007) for details.

Incertae sedis

Genus Flexopteron Shuto, 1969

Type species. Flexopteron philippinensis Shuto, 1969 ; original designation. Present-day, Indo-West Pacific.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cord diagrams and apertural features for Haustrinae [Haustrum? pyrulatum (Hoernes & Auinger, 1882)] and Muricinae [Bolinus gapus (De Gregorio, 1885a), Bolinus partschi (Hörnes, 1853), Chicoreus (Triplex) aquitanicus (Grateloup, 1833), Chicoreus (Triplex) hirmetzli (Kovács, 2018), Chicoreus (Triplex) notatus (Eichwald, 1830). Hexaplex (Trunculariopsis) trunculoides (Pusch, 1837), Hexaplex (Trunculariopsis) esplus (De Gregorio, 1885a), Hexaplex(Trunculariopsis) subasperrimus (d’Orbigny, 1852), Promurex spinicosta (Bronn, 1831), Exquisitor graniferus (Michelotti, 1841)].

FIGURE 3. Bolinus gapus (De Gregorio, 1885a). A1–A3. NHMW 1847/0046/0030, Szob (Hungary). B1–B3. paralectotype, NHMW 1860/0015/1270, Grund (Austria). C1–C3. NHMW1869/0001/0280, Grund (Austria). D1–D3. lectotype, NHMW 1856/0050/0122, Gainfarn (Austria).

FIGURE 52. Cord diagrams and apertural features of Pagodulinae [Pagodula spinifera (Csepreghy-Meznerics, 1969), Pagodula perditus (De Gregorio 1885b)], Typhinae [Hirtotyphis horridus (Brocchi, 1814), Siphonochelus fistulosus (Brocchi, 1814), Typhinellus labiatus (De Cristofori & Jan, 1832)] and Muricidae incertae sedis [Crassimurex (Eopaziella) zoltani sp. nov., Homalocantha heptagonata (Bronn, 1831), Flexopteron goniostoma (Hörnes, 1853), Pterynotus granuliferus (Grateloup, 1833), Pterynotus (Pterymarchia) sandbergeri (Hörnes, 1856)].

FIGURE 60. Homalocantha heptagonata (Bronn, 1831). A1–A3. NHMW 1855/0002/0081, Steinebrunn (Austria). B1–B3. NHMW 1874/0025/0035, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania). C1–C3. NHMW 1999z0098/0011a, Enzesfeld (Austria). D1–D3. NHMW 1999z0098/0011b, Enzesfeld (Austria).