Lautoconus Monterosato 1923

Lautoconus cf. anomalomamillus (Sacco, 1893)

Plate 5 N 1 -N 2

cf. * Conus (Cheliconus) [sic]) taurinensis? var. anomalomamilla Sacco 1893: 99, pl. 9, fig. 52.

cf. Conus (Chelyconus) taurinensis ? var. anomalomamilla Sacco, 1893 — Ferrero Mortara et al. 1984: 128, pl. 20, fig. 2.

cf. Conus (Chelyconus) cfr. anomalomamillus (Sacco, 1893) [sic]—Muñiz Solís 1999: 37, figs. 6A-D.

Santa Maria material examined. Maximum height 22.0 mm, width 11.0 mm. DBUA-F 924-1 (1), Malbusca; DBUA-F 946-B (1) Ponta dos Cedros, Santa Maria Island, Azores, Touril Complex, Lower Pliocene.

Description. Shell small for genus, coniform, with mammillate spire. Protoconch and earliest teleoconch whorls missing. Spire whorls weakly convex in profile, smooth, separated by moderately impressed linear suture. Last whorl broadly and roundly shouldered, almost straight-sided below. Sculpture absent, except for a few cords over the siphonal fasciole. Apertural side obscured by matrix.

Discussion. The specimens from Santa Maria are very similar to what Muñiz Solís (1999: 37, figs. 6A-D) called Conus (Chelyconus) cfr. anomalomamillus Sacco, 1893. They are characterised by their mammillate spires and convex spire whorls without spiral sculpture. Muñiz Solís’ material is from the lowermost Piacenzian Estepona Basin deposits. Although the Estepona assemblages are Upper Pliocene Piacenzian rather than Lower Pliocene Zanclean as are the Santa Maria assemblages, both were part of Pliocene Tropical MPPMU1. Whether they are conspecific with the holotype from the Lower Miocene Colli Torinesi of Italy needs further confirmation.

Distribution. Lower Pliocene: Atlantic, Santa Maria Island, Azores (this paper).

Genus Plagioconus Tucker & Tenorio, 2009

Type species. Conus elatus Michelotti, 1847 (Tucker & Tenorio 2009: 111), by original designation. Miocene, Europe.