Paraguraleus abbreviatus

Paraguraleus abbreviatus Temporal range: late Oligocene–Early 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:	Mangeliidae
Genus:	Paraguraleus
Species:	†P. abbreviatus
Binomial name
†Paraguraleus abbreviatus (Powell, 1944)
Synonyms [1]
† Antiguraleus abbreviatus(A.W.B. Powell, 1944) † Guraleus (Paraguraleus) abbreviatusA.W.B. Powell, 1944 † Guraleus abbreviatusA.W.B. Powell, 1944 † Propebela abbreviatus(A.W.B. Powell, 1944) [2]

Paraguraleus abbreviatus is an extinct species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Mangeliidae. ^[1] Fossils of the species date to the middle Miocene, and have been found in strata of the St Vincent Basin of South Australia.

Description

Reverse view of holotype

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

Ovate-fusiform. Whorls convex, not shouldered. Sculptured with heavy, rounded axials, 12-14 per whorl, extending from upper suture to lower part of base, crossed by fine, regular, closely spaced spiral threads, 14-15 from suture to suture on the penultimate, and about 40 on the body-whorl. The outer lip is thin edged and slightly incurved, strengthened behind by an axial. Sinus rounded, shallow. ^[3]

The holotype of the species measures 5.9 mm (0.23 in) in height and 2.5 mm (0.098 in) in diameter, and a different type specimen seen by Powell measured 7.3 mm (0.29 in) by 3.25 mm (0.128 in). ^[3]

Taxonomy

The species was first described by A.W.B. Powell in 1944, as Guraleus (Paraguraleus) abbreviatus. ^[3] The species was moved to the genus Antiguraleus in 1970 by Thomas A. Darragh, ^[4] This recombination is not supported by the World Register of Marine Species, which gives the accepted name of the species as Paraguraleus abbreviatus. ^[1] The holotype was collected from the Metropolitan Abattoirs Bore in Adelaide at a depth of 122–152 m (400–499 ft) by Walter Howchin and Joseph Verco in 1919, and is held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum. ^{[5] [6]}

Ecology

P. abbreviatus was an epifaunal carnivore. ^[7]

Distribution

This extinct marine species occurs in middle Miocene (Bairnsdalian) strata of the St Vincent Basin, including the lower Dry Creek Sands Formation of South Australia. ^{[5] [8]}

References

1. Paraguraleus abbreviatus (A. W. B. Powell, 1944) † . 11 November 2025. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species .
2. Beu, A. G. (March 2011). "Marine Mollusca of isotope stages of the last 2 million years in New Zealand. Part 4. Gastropoda (Ptenoglossa, Neogastropoda, Heterobranchia)". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 41 (1): 1–153. doi:10.1080/03036758.2011.548763. ISSN   0303-6758. Wikidata   Q54553193.
3. 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.
4. Darragh, Thomas A. (1970). "Catalogue of Australian Tertiary Mollusca (except chitons)" (PDF). Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria. 31: 151. doi:10.24199/J.MMV.1970.31.14. ISSN   0083-5986. Wikidata   Q56194898.
5. 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. Wikidata   Q135397912.
6. "Guraleus (Paraguraleus) abbreviatus". Collections Online. Auckland War Memorial Museum . Retrieved 11 November 2025.
7. "†Antiguraleus abbreviatus Powell 1944 (snail)". Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
8. 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.