Conus (Seminoleconus)  violetae (Petuch, 1994)

 

 

 

Diagnosis.

–Most teleoconch whorls with radially elongate tubercles (absent in mature specimens); sutural ramps with two incised spiral grooves; subsutural flexure asymmetrically curved; last whorl with raised spiral threads on anterior third and one or two rows of fi ne spiral beads below shoulder; color pattern on last whorl usually visible in normal light and consisting of 7-13 rows of spiral, square dots or blotches; teleoconch whorls with radial blotches (1).

 

Description.

–Shell dextral, moderately small to mediumsized. Last whorl conical; outline nearly straight to slightly sigmoidal. Shoulder angulate with radially elongate tubercles in smaller individuals; shoulder smooth in mature individuals. Spire moderate to high; outline fl at to slightly concave. Early postnuclear whorls tuberculate. Teleoconch sutural ramps slightly convex to sigmoidal with two weak incised spiral grooves. Subsutural flexure asymmetrically curved; width approximately one and a half to two times depth. Last whorl with raised spiral threads on anterior third; one or two rows of fine spiral beads present just below shoulder. Color pattern on last whorl consisting of ca. 7-13 rows of spiral, square dots or blotches; teleoconch whorls with radial blotches (1).

 

Morphometrics and shell shape as a function of shell size.–

Morphometric data collected from six specimens of Conus violetae, including the holotype (USNM 427969), are summarized in Table 18. For these specimens, MD = 0.56(SL) 1.55 (R2 = 0.99) and MD = 0.65(AH) + 0.36 (R2 = 0.99) (1).

 

Occurrence.

–The holotype is from Mule Pen Quarry, Collier County, Florida, Tamiami Formation, Pinecrest Beds (Petuch, 1988). Conus violetae is only known from the Tamiami Formation (Pinecrest Beds) exposed in Collier County, Florida (1).

 

Remarks.

–As noted by Petuch (1988), Conus violetae shares some similarity with C. spuroides in overall shape and color pattern, but is readily distinguished from that species by its radially elongate tubercles, which are present on the shoulders of many of the teleoconch whorls, and its fine spiral beads beneath the shoulder (1).

In her unpublished Masters thesis, Kamp (1968) described Conus consobrinus G. B. Sowerby II, 1850, as occurring in the Pinecrest Beds of the Tamiami Formation. I found and examined two of her specimens, UF 115832 (Pl. 18, Figs 14-15) and UF 115833 (Pl. 18, Figs 18-19), and I conclude that these are not consistent with C. consobrinus, a fossil taxon from the Dominican Republic. Pflug (1961) designated a lectotype for C. consobrinus (BMNH 83962, Heneken Collection), which he also figured (Pflug, 1961: pl. 17, fi gs 1-2). His figures of the lectotype, in addition to those of several other specimens, show few similarities with C. violetae beyond the presence of similar elongate tubercles on the teleoconch whorls, grooves on the teleoconch sutural ramps, and spiral beads on the last whorl (in C. violetae, two rows of spiral beads occur beneath the shoulder, but in some specimens of C. consobrinus, rows of spiral beads appear to cover much of the last whorl). In particular, some specimens of C. consobrinus are much larger than C. violetae (e.g., the lectotype of C. consobrinus has SL = 65 mm [Pflug, 1961]; the largest observed specimen of C. violetae has SL = 35.5 mm) and most specimens have last whorls that are more elongate in shape (Pflug’s figure [pl. 17, fi g. 1] of the lectotype appears to have RD = 0.60) than those of C. violetae (which have RD ranging 0.64-0.69) (1).

 

 

 

Conus violetae (Petuch, 1988)

11-13. Holotype (USNM 427969).

Mule Pen Quarry, Collier County, Florida.

Tamiami Formation, Pinecrest Beds.

SL 22.1 mm; MD 11.0 mm.

 

Conus violetae (Petuch, 1988)

14-15. UF 115832.

UF locality CR007: Alligator Alley 01,

Collier County, Florida. Tamiami Formation,

Pinecrest Beds. SL 35.5 mm; MD 19.0 mm.

Conus violetae (Petuch, 1988)

16. UF 115834. UF locality CR007: Alligator Alley 01, Collier County, Florida. Tamiami

Formation, Pinecrest Beds. SL 16.0 mm.

Conus violetae (Petuch, 1988)

17. UF 114763. UF locality CR007: Alligator Alley 01, Collier County, Florida. Tamiami

Formation, Pinecrest Beds. SL 25.7 mm.

 

Conus violetae (Petuch, 1988)

18-19. UF 115833. UF locality CR007: Alligator Alley 01, Collier County, Florida. Tamiami

Formation, Pinecrest Beds. SL 25.5 mm; MD 12.3 mm.

 

Seminoleconus violetae (Petuch, 1988)

A 432  57,05 mm

SMR Aggregates, Sarasota, Florida

 (Henk Boerman)

 

 

 

 

 

Conus violetae

mm. 33,1 x 17,1

Pliocene  –Buckingham member of Tamiami Formation . Quality aggregates, Sarasota, Florida

[AZFC 398-02]

 

Edward J. Petuch

that looks like a very large specimen of Seminoleconus violetae---the early whorls are usually coronated on violetae, but they look eroded on this specimen, so it's hard to tell exactly

 

 

.

Edward J. Petuch

definitely Seminoleconus violetae! and these are really big specimens---great shells and very rare now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seminoleconus violetae (Petuch, 1988)

A 432  57,0 mm

SMR Aggregates, Sarasota, Florida

 (Henk Boerman)

Conus violetae (Petuch, 1988)

14-15. UF 115832.

SL 35.5 mm; MD 19.0 mm.

Conus violetae

mm. 33,1 x 17,1

[AZFC 398-02]

Conus violetae

(Petuch, 1988)

17. UF 114763.

SL 25.7 mm.

 

 

Conus violetae

(Petuch, 1988)

18-19. UF 115833.

SL 25.5 mm; MD 12.3 mm.

Conus violetae (Petuch, 1988)

11-13. Holotype (USNM 427969).

SL 22.1 mm; MD 11.0 mm.

 

Conus violetae (Petuch, 1988)

16. UF 115834.

SL 16.0 mm.

 

 

 

 

Bibliografia Consultata