Filodrillia ludbrookae

Filodrillia ludbrookae Temporal range: middle Miocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Holotype from Auckland War Memorial Museum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Family:	Borsoniidae
Genus:	Filodrillia
Species:	†F. ludbrookae
Binomial name
†Filodrillia ludbrookae A. W. B. Powell, 1944

Filodrillia ludbrookae is an extinct species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc, in the family Borsoniidae. ^[1] Fossils of the species date to middle Miocene strata of the St Vincent Basin of South Australia.

Description

Reverse view of holotype

In the original description, Powell described the species as follows:

Body-whorl more rounded than in above species; the early whorls only are strongly angulate. Axials much weaker than spirals—numerous spiral threads on shoulder. Whorls 61⁄2, including typical papillate smooth protoconch of 13⁄4 whorls. Peripheral spiral narrow, at middle of whorls; three spirals of equal strength below it, lowest at lower suture; about 16 much weaker spirals on base and neck. Axials very narrow, weak, oblique and flexuous, strongest from peripheral keel to lower suture, but extending weakly both over shoulder and over base to neck, The shoulder bears six fine crisp spiral threads. ^[2]

The holotype of the species measures 9 mm (0.35 in) in height and has a diameter of 3.75 mm (0.148 in). ^[2] It is similar in appearance to F. peramoena , but more slender. The species can be distinguished from other members of the genus due to the persistent angulate periphery on the body whorl, being relatively more slender, and the body whorl being less rounded. ^[3]

Taxonomy

The species was first described by A. W. B. Powell in 1944. ^[2] The holotype was collected in 1919 by W. Howchin and J.C. Verco from the Metropolitan Abattoirs Bore in Adelaide, at a depth of between 122–152 m (400–499 ft). It is held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum. ^{[4] [5]}

Distribution

This extinct marine species occurs in middle Miocene strata of the St Vincent Basin of South Australia, including the Dry Creek Sands. ^{[4] [6]}

References

1. Filodrillia ludbrookae A. W. B. Powell, 1944 † . Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species  on 19 February 2026.
2. Powell, A. W. B. (1944). "The Australian Tertiary Mollusca of the Family Turridae". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum . 3: 3–68. ISSN   0067-0464. JSTOR   42905993. Wikidata   Q58676624. This article incorporates text from this source, which is under a CC BY 4.0 license.
3. Ludbrook, Nelly Hooper (1958). "The molluscan fauna of the Pliocene strata underlying the Adelaide plains. Part V-Gastropoda (Eratoidae-Scaphandridae)". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, Incorporated. 81: 95-96 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
4. Blom, Wilma M. (2025). "Annotated Catalogue of Fossil and Extant Molluscan Types in the Auckland War Memorial Museum". Bulletin of the Auckland Museum . 22. doi:10.32912/BULLETIN/22. ISSN   1176-3213. OCLC   1550165130. Wikidata   Q135397912.
5. "Filodrillia ludbrookae". Collections Online. Auckland War Memorial Museum . Retrieved 19 February 2026.
6. Darragh, Thomas A. (August 2024). "A checklist of Australian marine Cenozoic Mollusca". Memoirs of Museum Victoria . 83: 37–206. doi:10.24199/J.MMV.2024.83.02. ISSN   1447-2546. Wikidata   Q136396722.