The auger snails (Gastropoda, Conoidea, Terebridae) of the Miocene Paratethys Sea.

We present a critical review of the Miocene Terebridae of the European Central Paratethys Sea. In total, we document 23 species placed in 7 genera. We designate lectotypes for Terebra bigranulata Hoernes & Auinger, 1880 [= Fusoterebra terebrina (Bellardi & Michelotti, 1840)], Terebra (Hastula) cinereides Hoernes & Auinger, 1880 [= Hastula duboisiana (dOrbigny, 1852)], Terebra (Myurella) lapugyensis Hoernes & Auinger 1880 [= Hastula lapugyensis (Hoernes & Auinger, 1880)] and Terebra transylvanica Hoernes & Auinger, 1880. Based on conchological similarities we assume that the extant terebrine Punctoterebra Bartsch, 1923 might be a subjective junior synonym of Strioterebrum Sacco, 1890. In this case, molecular data could resolve this question, as Strioterebrum is still represented today by Strioterebrum reticulare (Sacco, 1891). Hastulopsis Oyama, 1961 and Maculauger Fedosov, Malcolm, Terryn, Gorson, Modica, Holford & Puillandre, 2020 are recorded for the first time from the European Neogene. Terebra golebiowskii nov. sp. and Oxymeris transleithana nov. sp. are introduced as new species.

The Columbellidae (Gastropoda, Buccinoidea) in the Miocene Paratethys Seastriking diversity of a negelected group.

We document 37 Columbellidae species, placed in 15 genera, from the middle Miocene of the Paratethys Sea, adding about 20% of new species to the previously known Columbellidae fauna of the Paratethys. This distinct increase is based on a careful revision of museum material that was collected during the 19th century. A detailed revision revealed numerous misidentifications of published material, which greatly distorted the understanding of many species in the literature. The revised fauna reveals only minimal affinities with coeval faunas from the Proto-Mediterranean Sea and suggests a palaeogeographic subdivision within the Central Paratethys between northern and southern basins. A major drop in columbellid diversity occurred at the Langhian/Serravallian boundary, coinciding with the Miocene Climatic Transition. This event led to a severe diversity decline from a high Langhian level of 32 species, which was comparable in the number of columbellid species to that of the modern Red Sea and tropical West Africa (~23 species), down to a diversity level of nine species, equalling that of the modern Mediterranean Sea. Auingeria nov. gen., Bellacolumbella nov. gen., Martaia nov. gen. and Defensina nov. gen. are introduced as new genera. Mitrella dacica nov. sp., Mitrella demaintenonae nov. sp., Mitrella elongatissima nov. sp., Mitrella viennensis nov. sp. and Zafrona sphaerocorrugata nov. sp. are described as new species. Costoanachis venzoi is proposed as replacement name for Anachis (Costoanachis) subcorrugata Venzo Pelosio, 1963 non Columbella (Anachis) subcorrugata Boettger, 1906. Lectotypes are designated for Columbella (Anachis) guembeli Hoernes Auinger, 1880, Columbella januskiewiczi Friedberg, 1938, Columbella (Mitrella) fallax Hoernes Auinger, 1880, Atilia (Macrurella) hilberi Cossmann, 1901, Columbella petersi Hilber, 1879, Columbella (Mitrella) complanata Sacco, 1890, Columbella (Mitrella) bittneri Hoernes Auinger, 1880, Columbella (Orthurella) elongata var. convexula Sacco, 1890, Columbella (Anachis) moravica Hoernes Auinger, 1880, Columbella (Mitrella) bucciniformis Hoernes Auinger, 1880, Columbella (Anachis) haueri Hoernes Auinger, 1880, Columbella (Anachis) austriaca Hoernes Auinger, 1880, Pyrene (Anachis) bellardii grussbachensis Csepreghy-Meznerics, 1969, Columbella (Anachis) dujardini Hoernes Auinger, 1880, Columbella (Anachis) zitteli Hoernes Auinger, 1880, Columbella (Nitidella) karreri Hoernes Auinger, 1880, and Columbella (Nitidella) katharinae Hoernes Auinger, 1880. Scabrellana is introduced as replacement name for the trilobite genus Scabrella Wenndorf (1990) non Scabrella Sacco, 1890.

Late Pleistocene Red Sea Mollusca: 1. Polyplacophora.

This study describes the chiton fauna (Mollusca, Polyplacophora) from the marine Pleistocene coral reef deposits bordering the Red Sea coast and dating to the last interglacial epoch (Marine Isotopic Substage 5e, MIS5e). Twenty-one species were identified, of which only three were previously known from the Pleistocene of the Red Sea (Lucilina sueziensis, Acanthopleura vaillantii and Acanthochitona penicillata). Eight are recorded as fossil for the first time. Six are described as new (Lucilina confusa n. sp., L. aqabaensis n. sp., L. aegyptiaca n. sp., L. colantonii n. sp., "Onithochiton" vandingeneni" n. sp., and Acanthochitona interglacialis n. sp.) and two are assigned at generic level (Callochiton sp. and Craspedochiton sp.). Four of these new species (Lucilina confusa n. sp., L. aegyptiaca n. sp., L. colantonii n. sp. and "Onithochiton" vandingeneni n. sp.) are still living in the Red Sea, bringing to 28 the number of extant species known from the Red Sea. These Pleistocene Red Sea assemblages represent the most diverse chiton fauna yet reported from any interglacial deposit worldwide.

The upper Miocene chitons of northwest France (Mollusca: Polyplacophora).

This study describes the chiton fauna (Mollusca, Polyplacophora) from the upper Miocene Tortonian deposits of northwest France previously known as the 'Redonian'. Twenty-two species were identified (represented by 9,380 valves), of which seven were already known, one is assigned at generic level (Leptochiton sp.) and 14 are described as new (Lepidopleurus pseudobenoisti sp. nov., L. gallicus sp. nov., Leptochiton parvus sp. nov., Leptochiton lateropustulosus sp. nov., Leptochiton renauleauensis sp. nov., Hanleya sancticlementensis sp. nov., H. sossoi sp. nov., Ischnochiton nitidum sp. nov., Callochiton pouweri sp. nov., Rhyssoplax assurrectum sp. nov., Tonicella redoniensis sp. nov., Acanthochitona globosa sp. nov., A. andegavensis sp. nov. and A. chauvereauensis sp. nov.). Regarding the stratigraphic distribution of the 21 taxa identified, 15 are restricted to the Miocene, the remaining six are extant and are distributed in the Atlantic and Mediterranean (Lepidopleurus cajetanus, Leptochiton algesirensis, Hanleya hanleyi, Ischnochiton rissoi, Callochiton doriae and Rhyssoplax corallinus. The number of new species is high (14 out of 22), possibly explained in part by the fact that this is the first description of the northwestern French upper Miocene chiton fauna - true endemicity is less likely in the light of scarce sampling.