Paraguraleus abbreviatus
Extinct species of gastropod
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Paraguraleus abbreviatus is an extinct species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Mangeliidae.[1] Fossils of the species date to the middle Miocene, and have been found in strata of the St Vincent Basin of South Australia.
| Paraguraleus abbreviatus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| |
| Holotype from Auckland War Memorial Museum | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Neogastropoda |
| Family: | Mangeliidae |
| Genus: | Paraguraleus |
| Species: | †P. abbreviatus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Paraguraleus abbreviatus (Powell, 1944) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Description
In the original description, Powell described the species as follows:
Ovate-fusiform. Whorls convex, not shouldered. Sculptured with heavy, rounded axials, 12-14 per whorl, extending from upper suture to lower part of base, crossed by fine, regular, closely spaced spiral threads, 14-15 from suture to suture on the penultimate, and about 40 on the body-whorl. The outer lip is thin edged and slightly incurved, strengthened behind by an axial. Sinus rounded, shallow.[3]
The holotype of the species measures 5.9 mm (0.23 in) in height and 2.5 mm (0.098 in) in diameter, and a different type specimen seen by Powell measured 7.3 mm (0.29 in) by 3.25 mm (0.128 in).[3]
Taxonomy
The species was first described by A.W.B. Powell in 1944, as Guraleus (Paraguraleus) abbreviatus.[3] The species was moved to the genus Antiguraleus in 1970 by Thomas A. Darragh,[4] This recombination is not supported by the World Register of Marine Species, which gives the accepted name of the species as Paraguraleus abbreviatus.[1] The holotype was collected from the Metropolitan Abattoirs Bore in Adelaide at a depth of 122–152 m (400–499 ft) by Walter Howchin and Joseph Verco in 1919, and is held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum.[5][6]
Ecology
P. abbreviatus was an epifaunal carnivore.[7]
Distribution
This extinct marine species occurs in middle Miocene (Bairnsdalian) strata of the St Vincent Basin, including the lower Dry Creek Sands Formation of South Australia.[5][8]