Teleochilus comptus

Teleochilus comptus 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:	Raphitomidae
Genus:	Teleochilus
Species:	†T. comptus
Binomial name
†Teleochilus comptus Powell, 1944

Teleochilus comptus is an extinct species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Raphitomidae. ^[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:

Shell small, ovate-biconic. Aperture almost two-thirds height of shell. Post-nuclear sculpture of 9-10 rather broad, flat-topped cords, with linear interspaces. Shoulder sulcus, a slightly wider interspace between cords 2 and 3 from the suture. About 34 cords on the body-whorl, 10 of which are on the neck. Protoconch almost smooth, showing 8-9 very faint spiral threads. Aperture much smaller than in other species. Lower inside portion of pillar with 7-8 oblique characteristic Daphnellid plications. ^[2]

The holotype of the species measures 12.7 mm (0.50 in) in height and 5 mm (0.20 in) in diameter. ^[2]

Taxonomy

The species was first described by A.W.B. Powell in 1944. ^[2] The holotype was collected in Torquay, Victoria at an unknown date prior to 1944, and is held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum. ^{[3] [4]}

Distribution

This extinct marine species dates to the late Oligocene and early Miocene, and occurs in the strata of the Port Phillip Basin of Victoria, Australia, including the Jan Juc Formation and the Puebla Formation. ^{[3] [5]}

References

1. Teleochilus comptus A. W. B. Powell, 1944 † . 13 November 2025. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species .
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.
3. 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.
4. "Teleochilus comptus". Collections Online. Auckland War Memorial Museum . Retrieved 13 November 2025.
5. 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.