Clathurellinids s.s. (Conoidea, Gastropoda) in the Plio-Pleistocene of Italy

Almost three lustrums ago, Taylor, Kantor and Sysoev, published a new classification of Conoidea mainly based upon anatomical characters. The most notable output of this new taxonomic arrangement was the reduction of the Family Turridae by transferring several turrid subfamilies within the Conidae. In particular the subfamily Clathurellinae was not only transferred into Conidae but also extended by including genera traditionally attributed to other groups (i.e., Borsoniinae, Mitrolumninae etc.). Hence, the sub-family (even though only provisional) encompasses several group of genera mainly defined on shell characters basis: Clathurellid, Bathytomid, Borsoniid, Mitromorphid and Tomopleurid. The work documents richness and ecology of the “Clathurellid group of genera”, sensu Taylor & colleagues, recovered in Pliocene and Pleistocene of Central Italy (Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany). Beside the taxon has been critically revised and discussed. The following synonymies are proposed: Comarmondia Monterosato, 1884 is considered junior synonym of Clathurella Carpenter 1857. As well as Carinotropis nitida Bernasconi & Robba, 1984 is junior synonym of Carinotropis minima (Montanaro, 1937). For the latter the Lectotype is designated and figured. The taxonomic status of Clathurella luisae Semper in von Koenen, 1872 from upper Cenozoic of the Nord Sea Basin is also discussed. Six clathurellids have been grouped in 2 genera: Carinotropis and Clathurella occur in the sampled sediments. Their stratigraphic distribution shows a dramatic decrease through the Plio-Pleistocene. Indeed only Clathurella gracilis (Montagu, 1803), persists thorough the studied interval. C. serventii (Pelosio, 1967 C. luisae?, C. scalaria (De Cristofori & Jan, 1832) and Carinotropis minima ) are restricted to the Mediterranean Pliocene Mollusk Unit 1 (MPMU) as described by Raffi and Monegatti. Clathurella ringens (Bellardi, 1847) is recovered, up to now only in MPMU 2 and MPMU 3.The ecology of this taxon is rather uniform. Indeed four species out of six have been recovered in lower circalittoral-upper bathyal muddy sediments. Only 2 species seems to prefer different settings: Clathurella gracilis have been recovered also in upper circalittoral coralline sediments, instead C. ringens seems to be restricted to infralittoral sandy/muddy facies.