Cenozoic Muricidae of the Western Atlantic Region Part V- Pterynotus and Poirieria

Abstract

This paper covers the two, closely related, most ancient muricine genera Pterynotus, including the subgenera Pterochelus and Purpurellus, and Poirieria, with the subgenera Paziella, Flexopteron, Panamurex, and a new subgenus Pazinotues, here named (type species: "Eupleura'' stimpsonii Dall, 1889). In the New World Pterynotus and Paziella appear together in the Paleocene beds of Alabama; Poirieria s.s. first occurs in the lower Eocene of Alabama; Pterochelus and Panamurex are first seen in the Oligocene of Mississippi; and Pazinotus is first found in the (?) upper Miocene of Jamaica. All have at least one living representative in the Recent fauna of the western Atlantic region. Flexopteron first appears in the Oligocene of Germany and is represented in the New World by a single species from the (?) upper Miocene of Jamaica. There is no living representative of this subgenus. Purpurellus first occurs in the lower Miocene of North Carolina and is found in the Recent fauna only off the west coasts of Africa and tropical America. A total of 42 species are treated systematically. These include twelve assigned to Pterynotus s.s., two to Pterochelus and one to Purpurellus. Two species are assigned to Poirieria s.s., seven to Paziella, one to Flexopteron, two to Pazinotus, and fifteen to Panamurex. Of the total number ten are new species: Pterynotus (Pterynotus) stenzeli, from the early middle Eocene of Texas; Poirieria (Poirieria) woodsensis, from the lower Eocene of Alabama; Pterynotus (Purpurellus) repetiti from the early lower Miocene of North Carolina; Pterynottts (Pterynotus) boerlei and Poirieria (Panamurex) mauryae, from the (?) late lower Miocene of Florida; Poirieria (Paziella) septima and Poirieria (Panamurex) dubitalis, from the (?) upper Miocene of Mexico; Poirieria (Pazinotus) bowdenensis, from the (?) upper Miocene of Jamaica; Poirieria (Panamurex) gabbi, from the middle Miocene of the Dominican Republic; and Poirieria (Panamurex) velero, from the Recent off northern South America. In addition, four homonyms are renamed. These are: Pterynotus (Pterynotus) havanensis, for Murex tristichus Dall non Beyrich; Pterynotus (Pterynotus) bushae, for Murex pygmaeus Bush non Schlotheim; Poirieria (Paziella) harrisi, for Murex morulus Conrad non Schroter; and Poirieria (Panamurex) macneili, for Murex simplex Aldrich non Philippi.