Conilithes allioni (Michelotti, 1847)

Figs 5A 1 –A3

Conus Allioni mihi—Michelotti 1847: 338, pl. 17, fig. 17.

Conus oblitus mihi—Michelotti 1847: 340, pl. 14, figs 2–2a.

[Conus] Leptoconus Allionii [sic] (Micht.)— Sacco 1893a: 32, pl. 4, fig. 6.

[Conus] L. [eptoconus] Allionii [sic] var. conicospirata Sacc. — Sacco 1893a: 33, pl. 4, fig. 8. [Conus] L. [eptoconus] Allionii [sic] var. perconicospirata Sacc. — Sacco 1893a: 33, pl. 4, fig. 9. [Conus] L. [eptoconus] Allionii [sic] var. discors (Micht.) — Sacco 1893a: 34, pl. 4, fig. 10. [Conus] L. [eptoconus] Allionii [sic] var. pupoidespira Sacc. — Sacco 1893a: 34, pl. 4, fig. 11. [Conus] L. [eptoconus] Allionii [sic] var. perpupoidespira Sacc. — Sacco 1893a: 34, pl. 4, fig. 12. [Conus] L. [eptoconus] Allionii [sic] var. oblita (Micht.) — Sacco 1893a: 34, pl. 4, fig. 13. [Conus] L. [eptoconus] Allionii [sic] var. perfuniculata Sacc. — Sacco 1893a: 35, pl. 4, fig. 14. Conus (Leptoconus) Raulini nov. sp.— Peyrot 1931: 118, nr. 1185, pl. 2, figs 19–20.

Conus brocchii Bronn, 1828 — Hall 1966: 140 (partim), pl. 23, fig. 12 [non Conilithes brocchii (Bronn, 1828)].? Conus (Conolithus) dujardini Deshayes, 1845 — Steininger 1973: 446, pl. 9, fig. 6.

Leptoconus allionii [sic] (Michelotti, 1847)—Ferrero-Mortara et al. 1984: 106, pl. 17, figs 5a–b. [Leptoconus allionii] var. perfuniculata Sacco, 1893 – Ferrero-Mortara et al. 1984: 106, pl. 17, fig. 2. Conus (Conolithus) sp.—Harzhauser 2002: 113, pl. 9, figs 13–14.

Conus brochii [sic] Bronn, 1828— Zunino & Pavia 2009: 365, pl. 2, fig.1 [non Conilithes brocchii (Bronn, 1828)].

Type material. Syntype or holotype illustrated by Michelotti (1847, pl. 17, fig. 17), Turin Hills, Italy; the specimen might have been stored in the collections of the Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Università di Roma, but parts of the Michelotti collection were destroyed during World War II (Manni 2005); early Miocene, Burdigalian.

Studied material. 6 spec. NHMW 1976 /1785/0044, Kleinebersdorf (Austria); 8 spec. NHMW 1976 /1785/ 0 0 47, Kleinebersdorf (Austria); holotype of Conus raulini, Saint-Jean-de-Marsacq (France), SL: 32 mm, MD: 18.5 mm Neuville collection, Université Bordeaux n° 30.2.7.

Illustrated material. Figs 5A 1 –A3: Kleinebersdorf (Austria): MD: 16.1 mm, NHMW 1976 /1785/0044.

Revised description. Small shells with moderately low conical spire; early spire with beaded carina. Late spire whorls smooth, deeply concave near upper suture and with prominent rim at lower suture; suture narrowly incised. Subsutural flexure of medium depth, strongly curved, moderately asymmetrical. Last whorl elongate conical, slightly constricted at base. A few deep and broad spiral grooves are restricted to the base. Siphonal fasciole very weak. Aperture largely destroyed; no information on colour patterns.

Shell measurements and ratios. n = 7: largest specimen (fragmented): MD: 16.1 mm, mean SL: 23.9 mm (σ = 1.9), mean MD: 12.7 (σ = 1.0), spire angle: µ = 100.1° (σ = 5.7°), last whorl angle: µ = 33.7° (σ = 1.1°), LW: µ = 1.89 (σ = 0.06), RD: µ = 0.66 (σ = 0.02), PMD: µ = 0.9 (σ = 0.04), RSH: µ = 0.21 (σ = 0.02).

Discussion. We do not follow Hall (1966), who synonymised Conus allioni with Conus brocchii Bronn, 1828. Conilithes brocchii is a Pliocene species, which differs in its larger size, higher and sometimes slightly coeloconoid spire, prominent sutural ridge and the broader last whorl, lacking the slight constriction of C. allioni, which has a low and sometimes cyrtoconoid spire. Conus raulini Peyrot, 1931, based on a specimen from the Burdigalian of the Aquitaine Basin, is most probably a subjective junior synonym of Conus allioni. This species was introduced by Michelotti (1847) as Conus Allioni. Therefore, the prevailing use as Conus allionii is an incorrect subsequent spelling.

Paleoenvironment. The Kleinebersdorf section represents coastal mudflat environments with Avicennia - mangroves (Zuschin et al. 2004).

Distribution in Paratethys.? Ottnangian (early Miocene): North Alpine Foreland Basin: Bad Tölz (Germany) (Steininger 1973); Karpatian (early Miocene): Korneuburg Basin: Kleinebersdorf (Austria).

Proto-Mediterranean Sea and North eastern Atlantic. Burdigalian (early Miocene): Aquitaine Basin: Saint- Jean-de-Marsacq, Saubrigues (France) (Peyrot 1931); Turin Hills: Baldissero, Valle Ceppi (Italy) (Sacco 1893a; Zunino & Pavia 2009). Occurrences from the early and middle Miocene of the North Sea Basin, mentioned by Beyrich (1853) and Kautsky (1925) seem to represent another species (see Janssen 1984).