Conus neumayri

Conus (Kalloconus) neumayri (Hoernes & Auinger, 1879)

Descrizione e caratteristiche:

Questo Conus possiede una forma abbastanza regolare, che però varia leggermente per quanto riguarda il rapporto lunghezza/larghezza. La spalla è arrotondata. In alcuni esemplari sono presenti strisce di incremento fortemente visibili. Le scanalature trasversali sono presenti solo alla base. L'apertura è stretta e si allarga leggermente alla base.

La colorazione è formata da tre fasce di colore giallo chiaro – arancio formate da macchie di forma quadrangolare irregolare abbastanza grandi. Una colorazione analoga si può osservare nel Conus spuroides (Olsson & Harbison 1953), abbastanza simile anche nella forma ma facilmente distinguibile anche per l’aspetto delle spire.

Revised description.

Moderately small shells with low spire and broad conical last whorl. Early spire pointed; suture of early spire whorls impressed, undulating, resulting in coeloconoid, gradate outline. Later spire whorls weakly convex with deep but narrower suture. Early spire whorls striate; later whorl tops glossy, faintly striate (only visible under high magnification). Last spire whorl distinctly broadening, forming a prominent, rounded shoulder, coinciding with position of maximum diameter. Subsutural flexure shallow, moderately curved, moderately asymmetrical. Last whorl stoutly conical to weakly ventricose; aperture moderately narrow, with subparallel margins. Siphonal canal very short, straight; fasciole short, twisted; inner lip broad, short, straight. Surface glossy with few pitted spiral grooves on base demarcating broad spiral cords. Colour pattern consisting of large rectangular blotches roughly axially and spirally arranged ⁽³⁾.

Shell measurements and ratios. n = 10: largest specimen: SL: 36.1 mm, MD: 23.6 mm, mean SL: 28.8 mm (σ = 3.5), mean MD: 18.5 (σ = 2.9), spire angle: μ = 128.1° (σ = 6.2°), last whorl angle: μ = 37.9° (σ = 2.0°), LW: μ = 1.6 (σ = 0.1), RD: μ = 0.71 (σ = 0.03), PMD: μ = 0.91 (σ = 0.03), RSH: μ = 0.09 (σ = 0.04) ⁽³⁾.

Discussion.

The highly characteristic colour pattern is among the most intense in Paratethyan cones under UV light and allows a quick identification in the collection, even in mixed lots. None of the specimens tends to form dots or dashes. Therefore, we reject the synonymization with Kalloconus berghausi (Michelotti, 1847) as proposed by Hall (1966) and Bałuk (1997). Moreover, the striae on the early spire whorl become obsolete much earlier and it lacks the nodules along the shoulder of the early spire whorls seen in K. berghausi ⁽³⁾.

Paleoenvironment.

At least the lot NHMW A1628 from Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania) derives from sandy nearshore environments with miliolid and elphidiid foraminifers (based on sedimentfill of the shells) ⁽³⁾.

Distribution in Paratethys.

Badenian (middle Miocene): Vienna Basin: Gainfarn (Austria) (NHMW collection), Transylvanian Basin: Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania) (Hoernes & Auinger 1879) ⁽³⁾.

Remarks ⁽⁴⁾

This species is not common in Crete, but is very easily recognizable under UV light. The colour pattern of large rectangular blotches is characteristic of the species. Moreover, the interactions between the blotches and the dash-like patterns are also characters of this species (Figs 13, 15; see also Harzhauser & Landau 2016: fig. 11E1, F1). The Greek specimens differ morphologically from the Paratethyan ones in the strongly asymmetrical subsutural flexure (Table 6; moderately asymmetrical on Harzhauser & Landau 2016), but we consider that this difference could result from a local variation ⁽⁴⁾.

Landau et al. (2013), in our opinion, misjudged the more extreme Conus (Kalloconus) neumayri pattern (e.g., Fig. 14). They consider this extreme pattern as that of Conus (Monteiroconus) daciae from the Karaman Basin, Turkey (see Landau et al. 2013: pl. 81, fig. 6a, b). The colour pattern described therein is identical with the pattern of Conus (Kalloconus) neumayri. Unfortunately, their assumption was not fixed in Harzhauser & Landau (2016), since they assumed that Conus (Kalloconus) neumayri shows no signs of dots or dashes, but bears only large rectangular blotches. Herein we show that this is not the case, because interactions between the blotches and dash-like patterns between blotches, are present in the colour pattern spectrum of this species (Figs 13, 15). We believe the specimen of Landau et al. (2013: pl. 81, fig. 6a, b) is Conus (Kalloconus) neumayri. Therefore, the pattern assigned to Conus (Monteiroconus) daciae (Harzhauser & Landau 2016) is not correct and is herein considered as undescribed ⁽⁴⁾.

Harzhauser & Landau (2016) rejected the synonymy of this species with Conus (Monteiroconus) berghausi Michelotti, 1847, as Hall (1966) and Bałuk (1997) proposed. We agree that the shell morphology and colour patterns are different and are indicators of two species. Conus (Monteiroconus) berghausi dots are small compared to the blotches of Conus (Kalloconus) neumayri. Furthermore, morphologically, Conus (Kalloconus) neumayri is more elongate, with slightly striated spire whorls and a rounder shoulder ⁽⁴⁾.

AUSTRIA - ROMANIA

Conus neumayri (Tav. I, n. 17-18) ⁽¹⁾	11D1–D3, 33D. Kalloconus neumayri (Hoernes & Auinger, 1879) ⁽³⁾ Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania): NHMW 1999z0077/0027, syntype mm. 30,6 mm x 20,8 Hoernes & Auinger (1879, pl. 1, fig. 17-18)

11C1–C3. Kalloconus neumayri (Hoernes & Auinger, 1879) ⁽³⁾ Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania), NHMW A1628 mm. 27,9 x 17,5

11E1–E2. Kalloconus neumayri (Hoernes & Auinger, 1879), Gainfarn (Austria) ⁽³⁾ NHMW 1843/0099/0058 mm. 30,3 x19,2	11F1–F2. Kalloconus neumayri (Hoernes & Auinger, 1879), Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania) ⁽³⁾ NHMW A1628 mm. 29,2 x 20,3