Conus trailli

Conus trailli (Hutton, 1873)

Conus huttoni (Tate, 1890)

Conospirus bimutatus (Finlay, 1924)

Conus ornatus (Hutton, 1873)

Description.

69. C. ornatus, sp. nov. Whorls smooth, with a row of small nodules on the keel, crossed by two or three spiral lines ; a few spiral stria: at the anterior end of the body whorl. Axis, .8 ; breadth, .3.

Localities.- Awamoa ⁽²⁾.

70. C. trailli, sp. nov. Spire whorls smooth, angled; body whorl faintly distantly irregularly spirally striated. Axis, .9 ; breadth, .43.

Localities.-Awamoa ⁽²⁾.

Hutton (1873. p. 10) gave brief diagnoses (without illustrations) of two species of fossil cones (Conus ornatus and Conus trailli) from "Awamoa". a locality-that refers to the Altonian siltstones and shell beds exposed along the banks and, on occasion, at the mouth of Awamoa Crek, North Otago.

Tate (1890, p. 189) noted that Conus trailli Hutton was preoccupied by "C. Traillii Adams", and proposed the replacement name Conus huttoni, but since this nomenclatural change was included in a paper on Australian Cenozoic mollusks, it was overlooked by New Zealand workers for nearly 40 years.

In the meantime. Suter (1914. p. 31) redescribed both species and figured the type specimens, using rather idealised pencil drawings originally made by John Buchanan under the direction of Sir James Hector. He referred ornatus to Conospira (as a subgenus of Conus) and trailli to Hemiconus, noting that there was a prior Conus ornatus Michelotti, but since he considered Michelotti's species lo be a Hemiconus he thought Hutton's name could stand.

Somewhat later Suter had occasion to examine some cones collected by James Park from Pukeuri, North Otago (Altonian), and on the basis of the variation in strength of the peripheral nodules concluded that C. ornatus and C. trailli were synonyms (Suter 1917, p. 84). Suter decided to use the name ornatus, which has page priority, and—apparently overlooking his earlier statement about Conus ornatus Michelotti— referred Hutton's species to Hemiconus.

Finlay (1924a, p. 105) pointed out that since Conus ornatus Button is preocuppied by Michelotti's name, C. trailli should be used instead, assuming that the two Mutton names refer to the same species. Shortly afterwards Finlay (!924b, p. 498, footnote) discovered that Conus trailli Hutton was preoccupied by C. trailli A. Adams, 1855, and therefore introduced the new replacement name Conospira (misspelt Cenospira) bimutata.

In yet another paper, Finlay (1927, p. 518-19) drew attention to Tale's much earlier replacement name for Conus trailli Hutton and transferred it to genus Conospira. Later workers have changed the generic name to Conospirus (Marwick 1931. p. 132) and Conilithes (Fleming 1966a, p. 70), but for some 45 years the specific epithet huttoni has been used, in one combination or the other, for the rather elegant cone that is so characteristic of Altonian faunas in North Otago and South Canterbury.

My own work suggests that ⁽¹⁾:

(a) Conus ornatus Hutton and C. trailli Hutton are distinct taxa;

(b) C. trailli (= C. huttoni) is so far known only from the holotype; (c) since both Conus huttoni and Conospira bimutata were proposed as replacement names for C. trailli, the common 'Awamoan' cone is without a name

Conus ornatus ⁽⁴⁾

Conus (Conospira) ornatus Hutton. Plate II, fig. 14 ; Plate XVII, fig, 7. 1873.

Conus ornatus Htitton, Cat. Tert. Moll., p. 10. 1887. „ „ Hutton, P.L.S. N.S.W. (2), vol. i, p. 212.

Shell small, biconic, spire elevated, with small nodules on the keels, the greater part of the body-whorl smooth. Sculpture : Protoconch smooth, the following whorls with a broad shoulder, the keel below the middle of the whorl, ornamented with numerous small nodules, crossed by a few spiral linear grooves ; body-whorl with about 8 oblique cinguli. Spire conical, about half the length of the aperture, angle about 65°.

Protoconch subulate, consisting of 3 convex whorls. Whorls 8 to 9, slowly increasing, the shoulder slightly concave ; body-whorl an inverted cone. Suture but little impressed. Aperture high and narrow, oblique, the margins parallel, truncated at the base. Outer lip almost straight, sharp, angled above. Columella oblique, very slightly convex, with a distinct spiral groove above.

Height, 20 mm. ; diameter, 8 mm. (type).

Type in the collection of the New Zealand Geological Survey.

Loc. — Awamoa, South Island. Miocene.

Remarks. — There is a Conus ornatus Michelotti, which, however, belongs to the genus Hemiconus Cossmann, 1889.

Conus trailli ⁽⁴⁾

Hemiconus trailli (Hutton). Plate II, fig. 15, a, b. , 1873.

Conus trailli Hutton, Cat. Tert. MoU., p. 10. 1887. „ „ Hutton, P.L.S. N.S.W. (2), vol. i, p. 212.

Shell small, biconic, with raised scalar spire, subnodose keels, and irregular spiral grooves on the body-whorl. Sculpture : Protoconch smooth, succeeding whorls with curved retrocurrent growth-lines upon the shoulder, which are obliquely slightly ante-current on the body-whorl ; the keels are subnodulous, there are a few spiral lines below, and the suture is plicated below ; body-whorl with distant, irregular, and but slightly impressed spiral grooves, deeper and closer together upon the base. Spire conoidal, outlines scalar, straight, its height a little more than one-third the height of the aperture, angle about 65°. Protoconch small, obtuse. Whorls about 8, regularly and slowly increasing, the body-whorl large, inverted conical ; spire-whorls with a broad shoulder, which is but very little concave, and the distinct keel is at the lower third of the whorls. Suture but little impressed. Aperture long and narrow, the margins subparallel, angled above. Outer lip lightly convex, angled above, with a shallow sinus at the shoulder, sharp. Columella oblilque, straight above, slightly twisted below ; there is no distinct groove below the suture.

Height, 21 mm. ; diameter, 11 mm. (imperfect type specimen). Height, 41 mm. ; diameter, 17 mm. (perfect specimen).

Type in the collection of the New Zealand (Teological Survey.

Loc. — Awamoa, South Island. Miocene.

Hutton, 1873 ⁽²⁾	Conus trailli (Hutton, 1873)	Conus ornatus (Hutton, 1873)	Two different species
Tate, 1890	Conus trailli (Hutton) replaced by Conus huttoni		Conus trailli Hutton was preoccupied by "C. Traillii Adams"
Suter, 1914	Conus trailli became Hemiconus trailli	Conus ornatus became Conospira ornatus
Suter, 1917	Conus ornatus synonym of Conus trailli Both named Conus ornatus
Finlay, 1924a	Conus ornatus preocuppied by Michelotti's name, so Both named Conus trailli
Finlay, 1924b	Conus trailli Hutton was preoccupied by C. trailli A. Adams, so named both Conospirus bimutatus
Maxwell (1978)	Conus trailli = Conus huttoni (v. Tate, 1890)	Conus ornatus now is without a name