B. M. Landau & L. T. Groves 
Cypraeidae from the early Miocene of northem Venezuela 
In the character of its subcylindrical shape and very 
short extremities Jung (1965) was correct to suggest 
that L. isabellaprimitiva belonged within the L. 
isabella- group. This is represented in the tropical 
American fossil assemblages by L. patrespatriae 
(Maury. 1917) (holotype; Fig. 146), which is found in 
the Lower Pliocène Gurabo Formation of the 
Dominican Republic. Schilder (1939) recorded L. 
patrespatriae in the Cantaure Formation. Pilsbry 
(1922) synonymised this taxon with the living L. 
isabella (Linnaeus, 1758), which today is widespread 
in the Indo-Pacific (Lorenz & Flubert, 2000). Ingram 
(1947) reaffirmed the synonymy whilst Woodring 
(1928) considered it a subspecies of L. isabella. 
We hâve compared specimens of L. patrespatriae 
from the early Pliocène Gurabo Formation of the 
Dominican Republic with specimens L. isabella from 
the Red Sea (BL coll.). Unfortunately, the Dominican 
shells are fragile, including the holotype, and in 
almost ail our specimens the columella is pushed 
inwards and the teeth are uncountable. We hâve one 
undamaged specimen in which the apertural characters 
are well preserved (Figs 54-57). The shell formula for 
L. patrespatriae [32.4 (54.0 - 44.0) 32: 29] is almost 
identical to that of L. isabella [35 (52.9 - 44.0) 34: 
29], One specimen from the Dominican Republic has 
the colour pattern preserved, which shows the same 
orange coloured tips seen in Recent L. isabella , but no 
black striping. On ventral view the columella is 
slightly more sinuous in L. patrespatriae and the 
terminais, especially the posterior terminal, is slightly 
more produced. The relationship between these 
species within the L. isabella group is unclear, we 
therefore consider them distinct at full species level. 
Luria isabella has a long géologie history in the Indo- 
Pacific, first recorded from the early Miocene of Fiji 
(Ladd, 1977) as Cypraea (Talparia) isabella 
lekalekana Ladd, 1934. This taxon was synonymised 
with L. isabella by Lorenz & Hubert (2000). 
This species group is represented today in the 
tropical American Pacific by Luria isabellamexicana 
(Stearns, 1893), which differs from L. isabella in 
having a more pyriform, less subcylindrical shell 
shape, fewer teeth on both inner and outer lips, more 
protracted terminais and a somewhat different 
colouration [shell formula for L. isabellamexicana 
from île de Clipperton; ZMA coll. unnumbered lot; 
39.7 (54.4 - 46.6) 29: 27], There are also radular 
différences (Burgess, 1985, Lorenz, 2002). 
It seems, therefore, that during the Pliocène L. 
patrespatriae was présent in the Caribbean portion of 
the Neogene Gatunian Province and L. isabella in the 
Indo-Pacific. Following the closure of the Central 
American isthmus, the L, isabel la-group disappeared 
from the Caribbean, and its populations in the Pacific 
became fragmented into a questionable number of 
Indo-Pacific species/subspecies with restricted 
géographie distributions (see Lorenz & Hubert, 2000; 
Lorenz, 2002) and L. isabellamexicana restricted to 
the tropical American Pacific, which is 
unquestionably a valid taxon, lnterestingly, L. 
isabellamexicana is présent and common in the Lower 
Pleistocene Moin Formation of Costa Rica (BL 
collection). At this time connections between the 
Pacific and Caribbean, albeit intermittent, still existed 
and is an example of a paciphile species (see Landau 
et al., 2009). The L. isabella- group has not so far been 
found in the neighbouring northem Atlantic 
Caloosahatchian Province. 
The early Miocene shells from the Cantaure 
Formation were synonymised with L. patrespatriae by 
Schilder (1939). However, the two populations are 
different; the Cantaure shells are never as cylindrical 
or elongated as those of L. isabella , and the teeth are 
far less numerous and stronger than in L. isabella (see 
shell formulae above). The Cantaure Formation shells 
are doser in shape to those of L. isabellamexicana, 
but differ in having less protracted terminais and again 
fewer columellar and labral teeth. We therefore 
consider the Cantaure shells a distinct species L. 
isabellaprimitiva n. sp. 
The genus Luria has also been recorded from the 
mid-Atlantic middle Miocene Madeira Archipelago 
(Lorenz & Groh, 1998). The shell of Luria santoensis 
Lorenz & Groh, 1998 is not unlike that of L. 
isabellaprimitiva in general shape, but with relatively 
tewer columellar teeth, a wider aperture and smooth 
fossula. Indeed, in the character of the fossula L. 
isabellaprimitiva does not conform well within the 
genus, which is characterised by shells with a smooth 
fossula, or almost so. 
Etymology. The name indicates an early member of 
the L. isabella species-group. 
Geological and geographical distribution. 
Lower Miocene: Cantaure Formation, Venezuela. 
Figures 45-57 
45-49. Luria isabellaprimitiva n. sp. Holotype NHMW 2010/0036/0005 (NMMW; ex. BL coll.), length 27.7 
mm. ower shell bed, 1 km Southwest of Casa Cantaure, about 10 km west of Pueblo Nuevo, Paraguanâ 
n," S 'f, tC ’ Vene/ucla; 5 °- 53 - Luria isabellaprimitiva n. sp. Paratype 1 NHMW 2010/0036/0006 
nf p ki \f[ X n° ’ ’ 26-6 mm. lower shell bed, 1 km Southwest of Casa Cantaure, about 10 km west 
Ot 1 ueblo Nuevo, Paraguanâ Peninsula, Falcôn State, Venezuela; 
Tim'is ' M . na pa ' res P“ tr L ae ( Maur y, 1917) NHMW 2010/0036/0030 (NMMW; ex. BL coll.), length 30.0 mm. 
l U1215, lower Gurabo Formation, early Pliocène, Gurabo River, Dominican Republic 
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