B. M. Landau & L. T. Groves 
Cypraeidae from the early Miocene of northem Venezuela 
The “ Pseudozonaria " group, which is 
characterised by its elongate-oval shells with well 
developed, often sharp eut teeth, densely spotted 
margins, freckled dorsum and prominent extremities, 
is closely related. Groves (1997) considered 
Pseudozonaria a subgenus of Zonaria ; Lorenz & 
Hubert (2000) used “ Pseudozonaria ” as an informai 
group within Zonaria; Landau & Silva (2010) 
considered the two separate at full generic rank. 
Pseudozonaria has a fossil record in the tropical 
American Neogene and is today restricted to the 
Pacific side of its original wider distribution (i.e. 
western side of Central America), and is an example 
of a Paciphile taxon (Woodring, 1966; Landau et al., 
2009). 
Zonaria pingata n. sp. 
Text-figure 8; Figs 96-99 
Dimensions and type material. Holotype NHMW 
2010/0036/0018, height 45.8 mm (Figs 96-99). 
Type locality. lower shell bed, 1 km Southwest of 
Casa Cantaure, about 10 km west of Pueblo Nuevo, 
Falcôn State, Venezuela (=locality GS12PGNA of 
Gibson-Smith & Gibson-Smith, 1979). 
Type stratum. Cantaure Formation (early Miocene: 
Burdigalian). 
Description. Shell medium-sized for genus, solid, 
ovate-pyriform, posteriorly swollen, in latéral profile 
dorsal curvature regularly attenuated abapically, spire 
weakly projecting, covered by adapical callus; sides 
rounded, strongly callused; callus ascending above 
mid-height, its highest point at the dorsal hump; 
ventrum flattened, slightly convex in profile; aperture 
weakly sigmoidal; siphonal canal long, abaxially 
asymmetrical and recurved, extemally surrounded by 
thick callus collar; exhalant channel weakly bent 
adaxially, externally surrounded by thick adapical 
callus; terminal ridge well-developed. tooth-like at its 
inner extremity; fossula smooth, rnarked by small 
dépréssion; three anterior columellar teeth, most 
anterior thinnest, adapically 14 short, stout, parallel, 
well-spaced inner teeth, ending abruptly at the basal 
and columellar planes, not extending onto the ventrum 
nor the aperture; columella smooth; 20 heavy, 
regularly-spaced labral teeth; Ventral and marginal 
zones spotted, marginal callus lighter coloured, 
dorsum golden-brown with orange watermark-like 
stains placed in irregular bands. 
Shell Formula. 45.8 (67.9-58.0) 17: 14 
Specimen 
collection number 
length 
width 
height 
LT 
CT 
Holotype (Figs 96-99) 
NHMW 2010/0036/0018 
45.8 
31.1 
26.1 
20 
17 
Table 9. Dimensions and number of teeth; Zonaria pingata n. sp. 
Text-figure 8. Zonaria pingata n. sp. Holotype 
NHMW 2010/0036/0018 (NHMW coll.; ex. BL coll.), 
length 45.8 mm. lower shell bed, 1 km Southwest of 
C asa Cantaure, about 10 km west of Pueblo Nuevo, 
Paraguanâ Peninsula, Falcôn State, Venezuela. 
Discussion. Zonaria pingata n. sp. is described based 
on a single beautifully preserved specimen and is 
extremely rare in the Cantaure Formation. The 
Cantaure Formation shell differs from the early 
Pliocène Esmeraldas Formation Z. pittorum in being 
more globose rather than pyriform in shape, the 
posterior portion of the aperture is more twisted to the 
left in Z. pittorum and the teeth are longer on both 
sides in Z. pittorum. The shell formula of the two is 
very similar (Z. pittorum : 40.1 (68.0 -52.1) 17:15). 
Zonaria pingata is most similar to Z. zonaria 
(Gmelin, 1791), the type-species of the genus, but has 
a more ovate shell, the inner lip teeth are shorter and 
stouter and the siphonal canal is more recurved. The 
Recent Mediterranean and West African Zonaria 
pyrum (Gmelin, 1791) is similar in shape, but the 
anterior third of the aperture is expanded, the inner lip 
teeth are again longer and the margins are unifonu 
orange without spots. The Mediterranean Pliocène 
Zonaria porcellus (Brocchi, 1814) is easily separated 
by its more elongate-pyriform shape and much finer 
teeth, which on the inner lip become obsolète 
adapically. 
Etymology. From Latin for stained Zonaria. 
Geological and geographical distribution. 
Lower Miocene: Cantaure Formation, Venezuela. 
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