Conus (Lautoconus) damianakisi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: BBAB551E-3B05-46E6-BC10-4234556D8EDC

Figs 15–16, 20, 40H; Table 8

Etymology

Named after Astrinos Damianakis, a private collector from Panassos village, who helped us during the material collection.

Material examined

Holotype GREECE – Crete • Tefeli; Messara Basin, Tortonian; Efterpi Koskeridou leg.; AMPG(IV) 3802.

Paratypes GREECE – Crete • 1 spec.; same collection data as for holotype; AMPG (IV) 3803 • 1 spec.; same collection data as for holotype; AMPG (IV) 3804.

Other material

GREECE – Crete • 1 spec.; same collection data as for holotype; AMPG (IV) 3805 • 1 spec.; Messara Basin, Tortonian; Efterpi Koskeridou leg.; AMPG (IV) 3806 • 1 spec.; Achladhia; 1964; Nikolaos Symeonidis leg.; AMPG (IV) 3807.

Shell description

Large shells (SL max.: 80.02 mm), with smooth, conical spire whorls and spiral cords. Spire whorls straight to slightly convex, with slightly concave outline in early spire whorls, straight to slightly convex in later spire whorls, with smooth to slightly elevated interactions of spire whorls, creating smooth, low conical to convex outline. Multiple spiral cords on top of spire whorls, with three to four on early spire whorls, up to ten on late spire whorls. Shoulder rounded. Maximum diameter below shoulder. Suture, channelled, not straight. Subsutural flexure moderately deep to shallow, moderately curved, strongly to moderately asymmetrical (Fig. 40H). Last spire whorl conical, straight. Aperture narrow, fasciole small, slightly twisted. Spiral grooves near anterior part of last whorl.

Colour pattern variation

The colour pattern on the spire whorls consists of thin flammulae, frequently very closely related to united, resulting in wide, fluorescent and comma shaped flammulae (Fig. 15, see apical views). The colour pattern of the last whorls consists of two levels of pigmentation. The first one consists of wide, dim-fluorescent spiral bands, interrupted by non-fluorescent, thin spiral, continuous bands or lines. The second level consists of very closely related, fluorescent dashes to continuous lines. The dashes tend to be on an axial synchronization with other spiral dashes-lines. The width of the spiral bands varies, as well as the number of interruptions of the spiral lines. Also, the length of the dashes varies as well, from almost dot-shaped dashes to continuous spiral lines (Fig. 16).

Remarks

The characters of the spire whorls and the colour pattern variation differentiate this species from the rest of the studied material. The specimens are similar in morphology (Table 8) to Conus pseudo-textilis Grateloup, var. pliocenica Erünal-Erentöz, 1958. The studied species differs from the variety of Erünal-Erentöz in the slightly concave sutural ramps. This difference is crucial, because the concave sutural ramps is shared between the specimens of Erünal-Erentöz and members of Monteiroconus, but not the members of Lautoconus.

Stratigraphic range

Tortonian of Greece (Heraklion Basin, Crete).