B. Landau & G. J. Vermeij 
Novapex 12(3-4): 119-123, 10 octobre 2011 
New Lyriinae (Mollusca: Volutidae) from the Lower Miocene Cantaure 
Formation of Venezuela 
Bernard LANDAU * 
Centra de Geologia da Universidade de Lisboa. Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal and 
International Health Centres, Av. Infante de Henrique 7, Areias Sào Joào, P-8200 Albufeira, Portugal 
bemielandau@sapo.pt 
Geerat J. VERMEIJ 
Department of Geology, University of California at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, 
USA. vermeij@geology.ucdavis.edu 
* Corresponding author 
ABSTRACT. The subfamily Lyriinae (Volutidae) is recorded from the early Miocene Cantaure 
Formation of Venezuela for the first time. Two species are recorded: Lyria gabbi Vokes, 1998, 
which is also found in the Lower Miocene Baitoa Formation ot the Dominican Republic, and 
Enaeta inornata n. sp. 
KEYWORDS. Lyriinae, Mollusca, Lyria, Enaeta , 
record, new species 
INTRODUCTION 
No species of Lyriinae Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954 were 
mentioned in Jung’s (1965) systematic description of 
the Lower Miocene Cantaure Formation fossil 
molluscan assemblage on the Paraguanâ Peninsula, 
Venezuela. This is hardly surprising, as both the 
species recorded here are extremely rare in these 
deposits. We discuss one new record of Lyria Gray, 
1847 and describe a new species of Enaeta Adams & 
Adams, 1853 from the Cantaure Formation. 
Material and Methods 
The material described here is from the Gibson-Smith 
collection housed in the Naturhistorisches Muséum 
Basel (NMB coll.), Switzerland and the Bernard 
Landau collection (BL coll.), now deposited in the 
Naturhistorisches Muséum Wien (NHMW coll.), 
Vienna. We hâve examined other collections from this 
locality, and none contains any species of Lyriinae. 
SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY 
CLASS GASTROPODA 
SUPERFAMILY VOLUTOIDEA Rafinesque, 1815 
Family VOLUTIDAE Rafinesque, 1815 
Subfamily LYRIINAE Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954 
Genus Lyria Gray, 1847 
Type species (by original désignation): Voluta nucléus 
Lamarck, 1811. 
Lyria gabbi Vokes, 1998 
Figs 1, 2 
Lyria pulchella (Sowerby). Gabb 1873, p. 219 (in 
part; non G. B. Sowerby I, 1850). 
Miocene, Cantaure Formation, Venezuela, new 
Lyria soror (Sowerby). Pilsbry 1922, p. 338, pl. 24, 
figs 11-12 (non G. B. Sowerby 1, 1850). 
Lvria (Lyria) gabbi E. H. Vokes 1998, p. 11, pl. 1, figs 
7-8. 
Material and dimensions. Two specimens; larger, 
NHMW 2009z0079/0006 (ex BL coll.), height 33.7 
mm; lower shell bed, 1 km Southwest of Casa 
Cantaure, about 10 km west of Pueblo Nuevo, Falcôn, 
Venezuela (= locality GSI2PGNA of Gibson-Smith & 
Gibson-Smith 1979) (1 other in BL coll). 
Discussion. Lyria gabbi Vokes, 1998 was originally 
described from the coeval Baitoa Formation of the 
northern Dominican Republic. Vokes (1998) singled 
out the presence of sharp barbs (prolongations of 
denticles présent within the outer lip) along the margin 
of the outer lip as the most characteristic feature of 
this species. Neither of the shells from Cantaure are 
perfectly preserved; both hâve the apex missing and 
the barbs on the outer lip are worn, but the denticles 
within the outer lip are clearly visible (Fig.l), and in a 
similar position to those seen in a specimen of Lyria 
gabbi from the type locality (Fig. 3). Vokes (1998) 
discussed the presence of a very faint colour pattern 
on the Dominican shells, consisting of fine spiral fines 
about 1 mm apart. A similar pattern can be seen on the 
Cantaure specimens (Fig.l). The position and 
character of the axial omament and denticles on the 
columellar lip are also identical. Lyria limata Hoerle 
& Vokes, 1978 (Figs 5-6) from the contemporaneous 
Chipola Formation of NW Florida also has these barbs 
on the outer lip, but is otherwise not especially 
similar, with fewer, broader axial ribs and a taller 
spire. 
Later Tropical American Lyria species seent to 
hâve lost the barbs on the edge of the outer lip. Lyria 
