Page 17 - NAUTILUS_122-1_Garilli
P. 17
V. Garilli, 2008 Page 35
sh., middle Pliocene, coll. MF ex coll. PAL, F39A; Tus- dick and Warén, 1969). In Mediterranean, it is common
cany, Siena, Poggibonsi, Villa Pietrafitta, Podere “La from the lower-upper Pleistocene of Sicily and is also
Vigna”, (SP 36, 4.9 km E side), 7 shs, lower Pliocene, recorded from the lower Pleistocene of Tuscany (Chirli,
coll. MF ex coll. PAL, F55B; Siena, Poggibonsi, Villa 2006).
Pietrafitta, “Sbarra”, (SP 36, 5.2 km), 2 shs, sands, lower
Pliocene, coll. MF ex coll. PAL, F55D; Siena, Castel- Remarks: This is a very variable species especially
nuovo Berardenga, Terre Rosse, (SS 73, 104 km), 1 sh., with respect to sculpture and shell shape. The typical
sands, lower Pliocene, coll. MF ex coll. PAL, F36A; morph, as described and figured by Michaud (1831: fig.
Siena, Poggibonsi, Villa Pietrafitta, Podere Sant’Uliviere, 12), has a clathrate sculpture with the axial pattern domi-
27 shs, lower Pliocene, coll. MF ex coll. PAL, F55C; nating over the spiral one. The finely cancellated type,
Siena, Poggibonsi, Villa Pietrafitta, Podere Melograni, 6 usually characterized by an elongate general shape and
shs, sands, lower Pliocene, coll. MF ex coll. PAL, F55E; more convex whorls, corresponds to the forma minor-
Siena, Colle Val d’Elsa, Bibbiano, 2 shs, yellow sands, tenuisculpta Monterosato, 1917. Two varieties, semiacos-
lower Pliocene, coll. MF ex coll. PAL, F108A; Tuscany, tata and fusulatovaricosa (the latter often bearing va-
Livorno, Tuscan Archipelago, Island of Elba, Procchio, rices), were described by Sacco (1895) on similar mate-
12 m, Posidonia bed, 2 shs, coll. MF ex coll. C. Bogi, rial from the Pliocene of north Italy. This cancellate
2120PROC; Umbria, Terni, Ficulle, quarry near Chiani morph (Figures 44 and 47–48), which seems to be the
river, (SS71), 1 sh., Cidaris marly sands, lower Pliocene, only representation of the discussed species in the Mio-
coll. MF ex coll. PAL, F68A; Sardinia, Nuoro, San Te- cene, is the most common in the Pliocene collections
odoro, 6 shs coll. PAL; Puglia, Taranto, MSNCS 44744 studied (see also Sacco, 1895: p. 28; Chirli, 2006: figs.
(ex 1505), 1974, BDA legit and det.; Sicily, Messina, Mi- 9–11 and 15–16) and becomes less common in Quater-
lazzo, Capo Milazzo, Cala S. Antonio, 12 shs, upper yel- nary material. The markedly ribbed morph, described by
low sands, upper Pleistocene, coll. MF ex coll. PAL, F5A; Sacco (1895) as var. laticostata (from the Pliocene of
Sicily, Catania, Grammichele, C.da Catallarga, 2 shs, Italy), and better known as forma dajerleini Monterosato,
coarse sands, lower Pleistocene, coll. MF ex coll. PAL, 1889, bears strong ribs, starting from the early teleo-
F27A; Sicily, Palermo, 1 sh., MNHN coll. Petit; Sicily, conch whorls. According to Monterosato (1917), this rep-
Palermo, 2 shs, MNHN coll. Dollfus, 1903; Palermo, resents the Atlantic morph of Alvania lactea. I agree with
Tommaso Natale, 13 shs, upper Pleistocene, MGUP 167/ Van Aatsen et al., considering it not exclusively an Atlan-
2/50; Palermo, Addaura, 1 sh., upper Pleistocene, tic morph, being present in some Mediterranean locali-
MGUP 587/5/15; Sicily, Catania, 2 shs, MSNCS 44743 ties (see Figure 45). It is noteworthy to remember that in
(ex 1448), 4/1974, G. Gentile legit and det.; Sicily, Sira- a extensive lot (128 shells, MNHN-DSE) from the Adri-
cusa, Vendicari, 1 sh., coll. PAL, 2124. Adriatic Sea: 128 atic Sea, all the above mentioned morphs coexist.
shs, MNHN. Croatia: Zara, 8 shs, MNHN coll. Petit,
1873. Greece: Evvia Island (Euboea), Loukissia, 4–5 m, Especially when its typical morphs are considered, Al-
1 sh., coll. PAL ex coll. Bogi Cesare, 2121LUC. Israel: vania lactea has a very characteristic ribbed, cylindrical-
Haifa, 9 m, 1 sh., coll. PAL ex coll. C. Bogi, 1994, ovate shell and can not be confused with its congeners.
2164HA. Some problem might occur when considering the can-
cellate morph, which can be compared to the recently
Habitat: As indicated by Jeffreys (1867), Gofas and described Pliocene species A. fredianii Della Bella and
Ponder (1991), and Bouchet (1978; 1992), this species Scarponi, 2000 (see this article for the main differences
typically lives buried under stones covered with sand at between the two species). The same morph of A. lactea
very shallow waters. I found very fresh shells collected shows strong similarities with the new species described
from along all the upper part of the infralittoral stage. herein, A. rosariae (see discussion below for differential
diagnosis).
Distribution: All the Mediterranean, probably de-
creasing abundance in eastward direction. In the eastern Alvania lactea is the type species of Massotia Bucquoy
Atlantic it lives from the British Islands (see also Jeffreys, et al., 1884, which is considered a synonym of Alvania
1867; 1869) to Morocco. Alvania lactea has also been sensu stricto by Ponder (1985) on the basis of the num-
recorded from the Black Sea (Anistratenko and Star- ber of the metapodial tentacles, shown by this species,
obogatov, 1994). This species probably originated in the based on a description by Jeffreys (1867). In my opinion,
Mediterranean Neogene, from where it is recorded from a more exhaustive anatomical dataset could be provided.
the Miocene of north Italy. It becomes more common in Nevertheless, even on the basis of its shell features and
the western and central Mediterranean Pliocene depos- intraspecific variation, there is no reason to consider
its, where it is recorded from several localities of north, Massotia as a well-supported group.
central, and south Italy (material herein studied; see also
Sacco, 1895, and Chirli, 2006) and Spain (Estepona, Lan- Alvania lactea has a very complicated teleoconch mi-
dau et al., 2004). In the Atlantic Pleistocene, as reported crosculpture, which could certainly be considered as a
by Landau et al. (2004), it is recorded from the post- suite of distinctive characters, not observed in the
glacial of Iceland, the North Sea Basin and the British closely-related taxa discussed in the present report. Early
Isles. As subfossil, it is recorded from Sweden (Huben- teleoconch whorls show a pattern similar to that ob-
served in A. carinata, A. francescoi new species, and A.
rosariae new species (detailed comparisons are provided
