Mystery Turbinellid

Data: This is a really weird turbinellid (or possibly way-out-on-acid volutid, though the columellar plaits are far too sharp and well-defined for this family). Its length was estimated at about 10cm, though it is reconstructed from a couple of fragments of internal & external mold. Spire angle appears to be about 26 degrees, though I can't make the reconstruction reflect this without screwing up the whorl-profiles... might need to redraw it with more whorls (they increase in size very slowly, so this is likely the problem with my drawing... gave it too few). The shell wall is extremely thick, and despite the rounded upper whorl-profile, the aperture is a narrow and strongly-inclined parallelogram. The protoconch and anterior end are conjectural but logical. The bodywhorl-profile is correct. It's from the late Eocene of NZ, the only specimen known.

Regards,
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator

 

Send Ideas to: Andrew Grebneff

Identified:

 

Discussions:

  • If I had to place it in a subfamily, I think I'd have to choose Turbinellinae, though Ptychatractinae is always possible.Perhaps I should send Avril images of the molds and casts to post...Andrew G.

 

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