Episcomitra fusiformis (Brocchi, 1814)

* Voluta fusiformis nob.— Brocchi, 1814 p. 315.

Mitra (Mitra) fusiformis (Brocchi 1814) —Rossi Ronchetti 1955: p. 250, fig. 133.

Voluta fusiformis Brocchi, 1814 — Pinna & Spezia 1978: 168, pl. 53, fig. 3.

Type material. Lectotype: I 4881, designated by Rossi Ronchetti (1955: 250), Piacentino (Italy), Pliocene; illustrated in Rossi Ronchetti (1955, fig. 133) and Pinna & Spezia (1978, pl. 53, fig. 3). Stored in the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano (Italy).

Discussion. Episcomitra fusiformis was described from the Mediterranean Pliocene and has been frequently reported in the European Miocene and Pliocene literature. Its status, however, is not fully resolved. The lectotype of E. fusiformis is a large (SL = 67.5 mm), moderately slender shell with high spire, weakly convex, faintly shouldered spire whorls, high, subcylindrical, bullet-shaped last whorl and strongly twisted fasciole. Many authors included also smaller shells with distinctly lower spires in ‘ Mitra fusiformis ’ (e.g. Malatesta 1974, pl. 28, figs 10, 11, pl. 29, fig. 18; Chirli 2002, pl. 17, figs 1–5; Landau et al. 2011, pl. 15, fig. 2) (see also Landau et al. 2013: 210 for discussion). Revision of the Pliocene Episcomitra species is beyond the scope of this work. We therefore limit the chresonymy of E. fusiformis to references to the type material. Thus, we restrict E. fusiformis to the slender morphotype represented by the holotype (and the specimen described by Bellardi, 1887a). In consequence, none of the middle Miocene Paratethyan shells identified as E. fusiformis in the literature and the collections of the NHMW is conspecific with the Pliocene species. Thus, all Paratethyan records of E. fusiformis refer to other species.