Muricopsis (Muricopsis) moravica (Hoernes et Auinger, 1885)

Kovács, Zoltán, 2018, Muricidae (Neogastropoda) assemblages from the Middle Miocene of the Făget Basin (Romania) in the collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Fragmenta Palaeontologica Hungarica 35, pp. 111-142 : 122-123

Muricopsis (Muricopsis) moravica (Hoernes et Auinger, 1885)

(Figs 28–29)

1885 Murex (Muricidea) moravicus – HOERNES & AUINGER, p. 206, pl. 24, figs 14–16.

1912 Murex tarnopolensis – FRIEDBERG, p. 170, pl. 11, fig. 2.

Material – 2 specimens; Lăpugiu: M.60.7957, M.60.10556.

Remarks – The occurrence of M. moravicus at Lăpugiu was already recorded by BOETTGER (1906: 31). As it is a poorly known species, a revised description is provided here. Shell length max. 22 mm, protoconch of 1.5 smooth, rounded whorls, teleoconch of five shouldered whorls. Last whorl 73.7% of total length of the teleoconch. Ovate aperture, five strong denticles within the outer lip, two folds on the columella, siphonal canal open and slightly dorsally recurved. Scabrous shell surface, spiral sculpture of strong primary cords (first whorl: appearance of P1 and P2; third and fourth teleoconch whorls: P1–P3, last whorl: strong P1–P5, weakly developed P6 and ADP, MP and ABP). Axial sculpture of eight varices on the penultimate and six varices on the last whorl, small P1 spinelets on the varices.

The specimen figured here agrees well in morphology with the type. The species was assigned to Orania by VOKES (1971), the morphology, however, is not typical of this genus. Based on the paucispiral protoconch, the strong sculpture, and the two columellar folds the species is assigned to subgenus Muricopsis . Murex tarnopolensis Friedberg differs only in size, hence it is considered as a juvenile representative of M. (M.) moravica . The Early Pliocene specimen figured by GORET et al. (2013, pl. 1, fig. 1) as M. (M.) alternicosta (Michelotti) is distinguishable from the type of alternicosta ( MICHELOTTI 1841, pl. 5, figs 4–5) by gradate spire and long siphonal canal, it is very close in size and morphology to moravica .