Paraguraleus finlayi

Paraguraleus finlayi 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. finlayi
Binomial name
†Paraguraleus finlayi (Powell, 1944)
Synonyms [1]
† Antiguraleus finlayi(A.W.B. Powell, 1944) † Guraleus (Paraguraleus) finlayiA.W.B. Powell, 1944 † Guraleus finlayiA.W.B. Powell, 1944 † Propebela finlayi(A.W.B. Powell, 1944) [2]

Paraguraleus finlayi is an extinct species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Mangeliidae. ^[1] Fossils of the species date to the late Oligocene and early Miocene, and have been found in strata of the Port Phillip Basin of Victoria, Australia.

Description

Reverse view of holotype

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

Ovate-fusiform. Whorls convex, bluntly angled at two-thirds whorl height. Sculptured with heavy rounded axials, 12 per whorl, extending from upper suture over base to neck. These are crossed by fine, closely spaced, spiral threads, much weaker on shoulder, 18 from suture to suture on penultimate and about 48 on the body-whorl. Outer lip thin edged, strengthened behind by an axial. Sinus rounded, distinct, occupying shoulder. ^[3]

The holotype of the species measures 6.95 mm (0.274 in) in height and 3.0 mm (0.12 in) in diameter. ^[3]

Taxonomy

The species was first described by A.W.B. Powell in 1944, as Guraleus (Paraguraleus) finlayi. ^[3] The accepted name became Paraguraleus balcombensis when the subgenus was raised to genus level. ^[1] The holotype was collected from Torquay, Victoria at an unknown date earlier than 1944, and is held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum. ^{[4] [5]}

Distribution

This extinct marine species occurs in late Oligocene and early Miocene strata of the Port Phillip Basin, including the Jan Juc Formation and Puebla Formation of Victoria, Australia. ^{[4] [6]}

References

1. Paraguraleus finlayi (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. 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.
5. "Guraleus (Paraguraleus) finlayi". Collections Online. Auckland War Memorial Museum . Retrieved 11 November 2025.
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.