A New Species of Poirieria (Paziella) (Gastropoda: Muricidae) from the Punta Gavilan Formation, Northern Venenzuela

Abstract

When Rutsch originally described the molluscan fauna of the Pliocene Punta Gavilan Formation, northern Venezuela (1934), he included only two muricid species. These are: Murex recurvirostris Broderip, 1833 [later assigned to the Recent Haustellum donmoorei (Bullis, 1964) by Vokes, 1990, p. 18], and Murex domingensis Sowerby, 1850 [= Chicoreus (Siratus) domingensis in Vokes, 1990, p. 50]. Subsequently, the living species Chicoreus (Chicoreus) brevifrons (Lamarck, 1822) was added to the fauna (Vokes, 1990, p. 35). Later (Vokes, 1992, p. 41), the Gatun species Poirieria (Panamurex) gatunensis (Brown and Pilsbry, 1911) was also added and, at the same time, Poirieria (Panamurex) rutschi was described (Vokes, 1992, p. 52, pl. 11, figs. 1-4) from the fauna. Most recently, a Punta Gavilan specimen of the living Murexiella (Murexiella) macgintyi (Smith, 1938) was figured (Vokes, 1994, p. 104, pl. 14, fig. 3).