Volanites Enay and Cecca, 1986

Vašíček, Zdeněk & Skupien, Petr, 2025, Revision of haploceratid ammonoids from the Štramberk Limestone, Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary beds (Outer Western Carpathians), Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 70 (3), pp. 421-441 : 435-436

Genus Volanites Enay and Cecca, 1986

Type species: Due to the fact that Enay and Cecca (1986) did not fulfill all the prescribed requirements when determining the type species, we designate Ammonites verruciferus Zittel in Benecke 1869 herein, represented by the lectotype specimen SNSB-BSPG AS III 809, originally figured by Zittel (1870: pl. 27: 8). Tithonian, Volano, Italy.

Volanites verruciferus ( Zittel, 1869)

Fig. 6C.

1869 Ammonites verruciferus Zittel in Benecke 1869: 145.

1870 Haploceras verruciferum Meneghini sp.; Zittel 1870: 52, pl. 27: 8 (lectotype), 9, 10.

1890 Haploceras verruciferum Meneghini sp.; Toucas 1890: 577, pl. 13: 7.

1978 Haploceras verruciferum Meneghini ; Olóriz Sáez 1978: 23, pl. 1: 6–8.

1983 Haploceras verruciferum (Meneghini) in Zittel; Cecca et al. 1983: 116, pl. 1: 4.

1984 Haploceras verruciferum (Meneghini) ; Rossi 1984: 90, pl. 31: 7, pl. 32: 7.

1986 Haploceras (Volanites) verruciferum (Zittel) ; Enay and Cecca 1986: 48, pl. 1: 2-8, pl. 2: 11–15; non pl. 1: 1 and 9 (= Haploceras cassiferum Főzy, 1988 ).

1986 Haploceras verruciferum (Zittel) ; Sarti 1986: 490, pl. 1: 6.

1986 Haploceras cf. verruciferum (Men.) ; Kutek and Wierzbowski 1986: tab. 2.

1988 Haploceras (Hypolissoceras) verruciferum (Zittel) ; Főzy 1988: 63, pl. 4: 3, 4, pl. 5: 1, pl. 6: 3–6, text-figs 13, 14 (cum syn.).

1989 Haploceras (Volanites) verruciferum Zittel ; Khimshiashvili 1989: 31, pl. 9: 2.

1990 Haploceras verruciferum (Zittel) ; Főzy 1990: 327, pl. 1: 10, 11.

non 1991 Haploceras (Volanites) verruciferum (Zittel) ; Cecca and Enay 1991: 45, pl. 2: 1–4 (=? V. cassiferum Főzy ).

1994 Haploceras verruciferum (Zittel) ; Főzy et al. 1994: 158, pl. 1: 23.

1994 Haploceras (Volanites) verruciferum (Zittel) ; Zeiss et al. 1994: 370, pl. 2: 1.

1995 Haploceras verruciferum (Zittel) ; Főzy 1995: 136, pl. 20: 4, 7.

2002 Haploceras (Volanites) verruciferum (Zittel) ; Pavia et al. 2002: 234, figs. 160/1–3,?4.

2013 Haploceras verruciferum (Zittel) ; Főzy and Scherzinger 2013: 216, pl. 5: 6–8, 12,?pl. 4: 1, 2a,b,?pl. 5: 9.

2017 Haploceras verruciferum (Zittel) ; Főzy 2017: pl. 1: 1, pl. 12: 3, pl. 23: 1, pl. 32: 17.

2020 Haploceras (Volanites) verruciferum (Zittel) ; Sarti 2020: 82, pl. 3: 3A, B, 4A, B.

2024 Haploceras (Volanites) verruciferum (Zittel) ; Sarti 2020: 82, pl. 3: 3A, B, 4A, B.

Type material: The lectotype ( SNSB-BSPG AS III 809 ) originally designated by Enay and Cecca (1986: 49) .

Type locality: Volano , Italy .

Type horizon: Tithonian or lower Berriasian .

Material. — Two specimens from Zittel collection ( SNSB-BSPG AS III 807 and SNSB-BSPG AS III 809— lectotype), one relatively well-preserved juvenile external mould Z2981b) without peristome. The specimen Z2981b is labelled only with the locality of Štramberk .

Description. —Semi-involute specimens, with medium-high whorls and a medium-broad umbilicus. The flanks of the ultimate whorl are moderately arched. They are broadest near the whorl base. From that point, the whorl declines, through a low rounded zone, to the line of coiling. The flanks of the whorl decline gradually towards the venter. The venter is rounded and separated from the flanks of the whorl.

The ultimate whorl is smooth. In one specimen (Z2981b) only blunt ribs convexly bent towards the peristome are observed.

Measurements. —The specimens of V. verruciferus illustrated in Zittel (1870: pl. 27: 8–10) reach, according to our measurements, sizes of 42–62.5 mm in diameter. In the studied small collection there are two size extreme specimens: the smallest with diameter about 38 mm, the largest with diameter 105 mm. The parameters of specimens in SOM 7 are as follows: H/D = 0.38–0.44, U/D = 0.30–0.33, and B/D = 0.29–0.32. The lectotype by D = 62.5 mm has H/D = 0.44, U/D = 0.30, B/D = 0.27. The largest specimen or The only specimen in our own collection (or Moravian-Silesian collections) has maximum size 51 mm.

Remarks.—We found only one specimen that should belong to V. verruciferus in the Moravian-Silesian collections studied by us. Judging from its size, it is a juvenile specimen without the characteristic final swollen rib on the venter near the peristome. However, the size parameters and morphology are similar to those of V. verruciferus . In other regions, a similar species but larger species, Volanites cassiferus ( Főzy, 1988) occurs together with V. verruciferus . According to Főzy (1988), V. cassiferus reaches a diameter of approximately 100 mm or more. Főzy’s (1988) specimen J-8048 from Lókút section ( Hungary) has measurements of H/D = 0.43, U/D = 0.27, and B/D = 0.30 at D = 105 mm. In accordance with Főzy (1988) and Főzy and Scherzinger (2013), we assume that V. cassiferus represents a macroconch of the microconch represented by V. verruciferus .

Stratigraphic and geographic range.—According to data in the literature, V. verruciferus occurs abundantly in the Mediterranean area (Verruciferus Zone) of southern Spain, southeastern France, Sicily, northern Italy, Hungary (Bakony, Gerecse), and Abkhazia. Főzy’s (1988) type material of V. cassiferus comes from the lower Tithonian of Lókút section, Hungary. According to Zeiss et al. (1994) and Zeiss (2003), V. verruciferus was previously considered an index species in the higher part of the lower Tithonian or near base of middle Tithonian. Detailed stratigraphic position of the specimen found in the area around Štramberk is not known.