Fossil from Italian Piacenzian Pliocene Giancarlo Paganelli

In the last 220 years about twenty species of fossil Conus Sammlungen. from the Italian Piacenzian Pliocene layers (3.6 to 1.8 mya), mainly in the Apennine Mountains of Piedmont, Caprotti E., 1971. Liguria, Emilia and Tuscany were found. he irst fos- Considerazioni generali sulla Malacofauna dello sil taxon described was Conus antidiluvianus Bruguière, stratotipo Piacenzia-no (Castell’Arquato, Piacenza). 1792, then Lamarck, Brocchi most of all, Orbigny, Sacco and others described all the currently known Cavallo O, & Repetto G., 1992. Italian fossil cones. Conchiglie fossili del Roero. Atlante Iconograico.

C. ventricosus Gmelin, 1791 is the only known living Chirli C., 1997. species. his species was recognized as fossil only later. Malacofauna Pliocenica To-scana vol. I. Superfamiglia Brocchi doesn’t mention it in his work. he irst record . I found is in Philippi, 1836 as C. mediterraneus Hwass, 1792. Crosse J. C. H., 1865. Description de Cönes nouveaux provenant de la he species shown represent nearly all the ones present in collection Cuming. the Italian Pliocene. hey were collected mainly in the gullies of Rio Stramonte, Diolo, Province of Piacenza Fontannes F., 1880. (in person) and in Tuscany, Province of Siena. Often it Les Invertébrés du Bassin Tertiare du Sud-est de la is not easy to identify the right taxon as the variability France. detected and the lacking of the colour pattern. Lamarck J. B. P., 1810. All the specimens represented were from my collection Sur la determination des especes. and myself photographed. Many of them are not in my availability any longer. Malatesta A., 1974. Malacofauna Pliocenica Umbra. References Mayer-Eymar C., 1891. Bellardi L., & Michelotti G., 1841. Diagnose specierum novarum. Saggio orittographico sulla classe dei Gasteropodi fossili dei terreni terziarii del Piemonte. Orbigny A., 1852. Prodrome de paléontologie stratigraphique universelle Bruguière J. G., & Hwass, C. H., 1792. Cône. des animaux mol-lusques et rayonnés faisant suite Encyclopédie Méthodique: Histoire Naturelle des Vers. au cours élémentaire de paléontologie et de géologie stratigraphiques. Brocchi G., 1814. Conchiologia Fossile Su-bapennina, con Osservazioni Philippi, R. A., 1836. Geologiche sugli Apennini e suolo adiacente. Enumeratio Molluscorum Siciliae cum Viventium tum in Tellure Tertiaria Fossilium. Bronn, H. G., 1828. Verzeichniss der vom Heidelberger Mineralien-Komptoir Rossi Ronchetti C., 1955. herausge-gebenen geognostisch-petrefaktologischen I tipi della “Con-chiologia fossile subapennina” di G.

Page 29 THE CONE COLLECTOR ISSUE #24 Brocchi. Conus canaliculatus BROCCHI, 1814

Sacco F., 1893. Shell of small size. Last whorl conical with right sides. I Molluschi dei Terreni Ter-ziarii del Piemonte e della Shoulder angulated. Spire high, stepped, outline Liguria. Pt. XIII. e Conorbidae. straight. Teleoconch sutural ramps lat. Aperture narrow with parallel sides. Colour pattern of thin Spadini V., 1989. reddish spiral lines. Il Genere Conus (Gastrop-oda: ) nel Pliocene senese. Plate 1. No. 7, 27.5 mm. No. 8, 17.8 mm (Diolo, Piacenza). Species Conus mercati BROCCHI, 1814 Conus antidiluvianus BRUGUIÈRE, 1792 Shell of medium to large size. Last whorl conical Shell moderately large. Last whorl narrowly conical with slightly convex sides. Shoulder subangulate to with right sides. Shoulder carinate. Spire high, stepped, rounded. Spire moderately low to moderately high coronate. Teleoconch sutural ramps concave. Aperture with straight to slightly concave outline. Tele-oconch narrow with parallel sides. No trace of colour pattern. sutural ramps slightly convex. Aperture wider at base than at shoulder. No trace of colour pattern. Plate 1. No. 1, 67.7 mm. No. 3, 48.6 mm (Diolo, Piacenza). No. 2, 60.4 mm (Ciciano, Siena). Plate 2. No. 9, 90.5 mm. No. 10, 36.8 mm (San Gimignano, Siena). Conus ventricosus GMELIN, 1791 Conus noe BROCCHI, 1814 Shell of medium to large size. Last whorl conical to ventricosely conical. Shoulder subangulate. Spire of Shell of large size. Last whorl narrowly ovate. Shoulder medium high. Teleoconch sutural ramps lat. Aperture rather indistinct. Spire high with convex (domed) wider at base than at shoulder. Non trace of colour outline. Teleoconch sutural ramps lat. Aperture pattern. narrow. No trace of colour pattern.

Plate 1. No. 4, 38.4 mm. No. 5, 57.4 mm (Pietraitta, Plate 2. No. 11, fragment 35 x 32 mm [estimated 85 Siena). mm] (Diolo, Piacenza).

Conus betulinoides LAMARCK, 1810 Conus pelagicus BROCCHI, 1814

Shell of medium to moderately large size. Last whorl Shell of small size. Last whorl conical, convex adapically, conical. Shoulder rounded. Spire of moderate high slightly concave at base. Spire of moderate high with with concave outline. Teleoconch sutural ramps lat. straight outline. Teleoconch sutural ramps convex. Aperture wider at base than at shoulder. No trace of Aperture narrow with parallel sides. Colour pattern of colour pattern. dark thin spiral lines and dots.

Plate 1. No. 6, 59.5 mm (San Gimignano, Siena). Plate 3. No. 17, 30.0 mm (Diolo, Piacenza).

THE CONE COLLECTOR ISSUE #24 Page 30 Conus ponderosus BROCCHI, 1814 Conus brocchii BRONN, 1828

Shell medium-sized. Last whorl conical to ventricosely Shell medium-sized. Last whorl conical with right conical; outline variably convex adapically, straight to sides. Shoulder carinate. Spire rather high, stepped, almost slightly concave below. Shoulder subangulate with straight to slightly concave outline. Teleoconch to rounded. Spire of moderate height with straight sutural ramps concave. Aperture narrow with parallel outline. Teleoconch sutural ramps lat. Aperture with sides. No trace of colour pattern. almost parallel sides. No trace of colour pattern. Brocchi identiied this Conus as deperditus Plate 3. No. 18, 38.9 mm (Melograni, Siena). BRUGUIÈRE, 1792; later Bronn described it as a new species. Conus pyrula BROCCHI, 1814 Plate 3. No. 22, 45.7 mm. No. 23, 39.8 mm (Diolo, Shell of medium size. Last whorl conical; outline Piacenza). variably convex adapically, slightly convex to almost straight below. Shoulder rounded. Spire of moderate Conus clavatulus ORBIGNY, 1852 height, with convex outline. Teleoconch sutural ramps slightly convex. Aperture rather narrow with parallel Shell of medium size. Last whorl pyriform. Shoulder sides. Colour pattern of axial reddish lines. rounded. Spire of moderate height with con-cave outline. Teleoconch sutural ramps lat. Aperture with Plate 2. No. 12, 53.2 mm (San Gimignano, Siena). No. parallel sides. No trace of colour pattern. 13, 37.5 mm (Melograni, Siena). No. 14, 36.5 mm. No. 15, 35.5 mm. No. 16, 37.9 mm (Ciciano, Siena). Plate 3. No. 24, 48.1 mm (San Gimignano, Siena).

Conus striatulus BROCCHI, 1814 Conus deshayesi ORBIGNY, 1852

Shell of small to medium size. Last whorl conical with Shell of small size. Last whorl ventricosely conical. right sides. Shoulder angulated. Spire of moderate Shoulder rounded. Spire of moderate high with high with straight outline. Teleoconch sutural ramps rather straight outline. Teleoconch sutural ramps lat. lat. Aperture rather narrow with parallel sides. Colour Aperture with parallel sides. Colour pattern of grey pattern of thin reddish interrupted spiral lines. interrupted spiral lines.

Plate 3. No. 19, 36.5 mm (Diolo, Piacenza). Plate 3. No. 25, 30.4 mm (Ciciano, Siena).

Conus virginalis BROCCHI, 1814 Conus subtextile ORBIGNY, 1852

Shell of medium size. Last whorl conical with right Shell medium-sized. Last whorl conical; outline slightly sides. Shoulder angulate. Spire rather low with straight convex. Shoulder subangulate to rounded. Spire of outline. Teleoconch sutural ramps lat. Aperture moderate height, outline variably concave to convex. narrow with parallel sides. No trace of col-our pattern. Teleoconch sutural ramps lat to slightly convex. Aperture narrow with parallel sides. Colour pattern of Plate 3. No. 21, 36.5 mm (Diolo, Piacenza). a thin ochre tent network.

Page 31 THE CONE COLLECTOR ISSUE #24 Plate 3. No. 26, 50.3 mm. No. 27, 27.1 mm [juvenile] moderately high with concave outline. Teleoconch (Ciciano, Siena). sutural ramps convex. Aperture wider at base than at shoulder. No trace of colour pattern. Conus pecchiolii CROSSE, 1865 Plate 4. No. 32, 30.0 mm (Ciciano, Siena). No. 33, Shell medium-sized. Last whorl conical to broadly 31.3 mm (Pietraitta, Siena). conical; outline convex adapically, slightly convex to almost straight below. Shoulder rounded. Spire of Conus laeviponderosus SACCO, 1893 moderate height, convex. Teleoconch sutural ramps lat. Aperture wider at base that at shoulder. Colour Shell medium-sized. Last whorl ventricosely conical; pattern of many nearly regularly spiral dashes of red outline variably convex. Shoulder subangulate to and grey. rounded. Spire of moderate height, outline lat to slightly convex. Teleoconch sutural ramps slightly Plate 4. No. 28, 46.5 mm. No. 29, 28.8 mm (San convex. Aperture wider at base than at shoulder. Colour Gimignano, Siena). pattern of many thin ochre inter-rupted axial lines.

Conus bitorosus FONTANNES, 1880 Plate 4. No. 34, 53.8 mm. No. 35, 38.3 mm (San Gimignano, Siena). Shell of medium to moderately large size. Last whorl ventricosely conical. Shoulder rounded. Spire of Conus spongiopictus SACCO, 1893 moderate high. Teleoconch sutural ramps convex. Aperture wider at base that at shoulder. No trace of Shell of medium size. Last whorl ventricosely conical; colour pattern. outline variably convex. Shoulder subangulate. Spire of moderate height, outline lat to slightly convex. Plate 4. No. 30, 57.1 mm (Pietraitta, Siena). No. 31, Teleoconch sutural ramps lat. Aperture wider at base 47.3 mm (Ciciano, Siena). than at shoulder. Colour pattern constituted by a tangled network of ochre thin lines, as painted by a Conus gallicus MAYER-EYMAR, 1890 sponge, which is why the name.

Shell of small size. Last whorl conical with straight Plate 4. No. 36, 51.4 mm. No. 37, 38.7 mm (Ciciano, to slightly convex sides. Shoulder subangulate. Spire Siena).

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1-3, antidiluvianus BRUGUIÈRE, 1792 27-28, pecchiolii CROSSE, 1865 4-5, ventricosus GMELIN, 1791 29-30, bitorosus FONTANNES, 1880 6, betulinoides LAMARCK, 1810 31-32, gallicus MAYER-EYMAR, 1890 7-8, canaliculatus BROCCHI, 1814 33-34, laeviponderosus SACCO, 1893 35-36, spongiopictus SACCO, 1893 Plate 2 Plate 5 9-10, mercati BROCCHI, 1814 Colour Pattern l1, noe BROCCHI, 1814 12-16, pyrula BROCCHI, 1814 1-2, laeviponderosus 3, canaliculatus Plate 3 4, striatulus 5-6, pecchiolii 17, pelagicus BROCCHI, 1814 18, ponderosus BROCCHI, 1814 Plate 6 19, striatulus BROCCHI, 1814 Colour Pattern 20, virginalis BROCCHI, 1814 21-22, brocchii BRONN, 1828 7, deshayesi 23, clavatulus ORBIGNY, 1852 8, spongiopictus 24, deshayesi ORBIGNY, 1852 9-10, pyrula 25-26, subtextile ORBIGNY, 1852 11, subtextile 12, pelagicus

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