On wentletraps (Gastropoda : Epitoniidae) from the Upper Globigerina Limestone formation (Miocene : Langhian) of Malta

Abstract

In this study, a collection of fossil wentletraps (Gastropoda: Epitoniidae) representing five nominal taxa, all from the Upper Globigerina Limestone Formation of the Maltese Miocene (Langhian) and deposited in the National Museum of Natural History, Mdina (Malta), is reviewed. The replacement name Sthenorytis garigor nom. nov. is proposed for Scalaria melitensis Cowper Reed in Baldacchino, 1939, primary homonym of Scalaria melitensis Fuchs, 1876. Lectotypes for S. garigor nom. nov., Scalaria crassicostata var. inequalis Cowper Reed in Baldacchino, 1939 and Scalaria crassicostata var. obliquata Cowper Reed in Baldacchino, 1939 are selected from the type series for nomenclatural stability. The varieties S. crassicostata var. inequalis, S. crassicostata var. obliquata, and S. crassicostata var. taurina Sacco, 1891 fall within the spectrum of intraspecific diversity expressed by Cirsotrema crassicostatum (Deshayes, 1850) and are synonymized with this species. Updated chresonymies and synonymies are given for C. crassicostatum, Cirsotrema duciei (Wright, 1855), and S. garigor nom. nov.