Oligodia Handmann 1882

Genus Oligodia Handmann, 1882

Type species: Turritella bicarinata Eichwald, by subsequent designation (Landau et al. 2013). Middle Miocene, Paratethys Sea.

Remarks. Turritella bicarinata, the type species of Oligodia Handmann, 1882, is also type species of Eichwaldiella Friedberg, 1933, which is an objective junior synonym of Eichwaldiella Whitley, 1893 (Pisces). Marwick (1957) synonymized Eichwaldiella Friedberg, 1933 with Torculoidella Sacco, 1895, with the type species Turbo varicosus Brocchi, 1814. Van Dingenen et al. (2016) confirmed this view based on comparison of early neanic whorls, which are all strongly angulated mid-whorl by a prominent B spiral cord, followed by a peribasal spiral cord D. This B–D succession of primary spirals is characteristic for Oligodia and allows a separation from the morphologically similar Helminthia. The early teleoconch whorls of both species are also very similar including the fine sculpture of tertiary spiral threads, and both develop a very similar lateral sinus morphology with two inflection points (of which the adapical one is rather weak). In addition, both species display the most intense pigmentation in UV light of all Miocene turritellids. Therefore, we follow Marwick (1957), Landau et al. (2013, 2018), and Van Dingenen et al. (2016) and treat Torculoidella as subjective junior synonym of Oligodia. Another subjective synonym is Altavillia de Gregorio, 1908, with its type species Turritella (Altavillia) cannamascensis De Gregorio, 1908, from the Italian Pliocene (original designation by De Gregorio 1908: 232). Marwick (1957) listed Turbo varicosus Brocchi, 1814 as type species; based on the description and discussion in De Gregorio (1908), Turritella (Altavillia) cannamascensis might indeed be a junior synonym of the Pliocene Turbo varicosus Brocchi, 1814. Inner lirae are present in the type species and in O. spirata (Brocchi, 1814).