B. Landau & G. J. Vermeij 
New Lyriinae from the Lower Miocene of Venezuela 
pulchella (Sowerby, 1850) (Figs 7-8) from the Upper 
Miocene Cercado, Lower Pliocène Gurabo and Mao 
formations of the Dominican Republic lias quite a 
different shell shape, with a far more inflated last 
whorl, less numerous, broader ribs and a thickened, 
abapically flared outer lip. This is also the only 
common Lyria species in the tropical American 
deposits. Lyria incomperta Hoerle & Vokes, 1978 
(Figs 9-10), also from the Cercado and Gurabo 
Formations of the Dominican Republic, but almost 
totally confmed to coralline faciès (Vokes 1998), has 
finer axial sculpture more similar to that of L. gabbi, 
but has a proportionately higher spire. Both L. 
pulchella and L. incomperta hâve smooth outer lips, 
without the barbs seen in L. gabbi. For further 
comparisons see Vokes (1998). 
To our knowledge, the two early Miocene Lyria 
species with barbed outer lips are the only tropical 
American gastropods with this character. In the 
Recent fauna, barbed lips are confmed to the Indo- 
West Pacific, or to species that hâve only very 
recently colonized the eastern Pacific (e.g. Casniaria 
vibexmexicana Stearns, 1894). Barbed lips occur in 
the strombid genus Tridentarius (Kronenberg & 
Vermeij 2002), the cassid généra Casmaria and 
Phalium (see Beu 2008), the mitrid genus Mitra 
(sensu stricto) (Cernohorsky 1976), some species of 
Harpa (see Rehder 1973), and in several nassariids 
including the genus A/ectrion (Cernohorsky 1984). 
The function of these barbs remains unclear, but 
defence is a distinct possibility, especially in those 
cassids, strombids, and nassariids in which some of 
the barbs point anteriorly. 
From a paleobiogeographical point of view, the 
Dominican deposits belong in the West Indian 
Subprovince, whereas the Cautaure deposits are 
within the Columbian-Venezuelan-Trinidad 
Subprovince of the Neogene Gatunian Province (see 
Woodring 1974; Vermeij & Petuch 1986; Landau et 
al. 2008). We can add L. gabbi to the relatively short 
list of species that occur in both of these 
paleobiogeographical subprovinces, together with the 
following species of Enaeta, and Vasum tuberculatum 
Gabb, 1873 (Vokes, 1998) and V. haitense (G. B. 
Sowerby I, 1850) (BL coll.). 
Genus Enaeta H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 
Type species (by subséquent désignation, Cossmann 
1899): Voluta harpa Bames, 1824 (junior primary 
homonym of V. harpa Mawe, 1823) = Voluta barnesii 
Gray, 1825. 
Enaeta inornata n. sp. 
Figs 11-16 
Type material and dimensions. Holotype NMB 
H18371, height 30.8 mm, width 15.9 mm (Figs 11- 
13); paratype 1 NHMW 2009z0078/0001, height 25.0 
mm, width 13.2 mm (Figs 14-16); paratype 2 NHMW 
2009z0078/0002, height 29.9 mm, width 15.8 mm. 
Type locality. Cantaure Formation (early Miocene: 
Burdigalian), Lower shell bed, 1 km Southwest of 
Casa Cantaure, about 10 km west of Pueblo Nuevo, 
Falcôn, Venezuela (= locality GS12PGNA of Gibson- 
Smith & Gibson-Smith 1979). 
Diagnosis. An Enaeta species with a medium-sized, 
solid, biconic shell, inflated last whorl and subdued 
sculpture consisting of weak spiral threads on the spire 
and six to eight axial ribs, developed only on the mid- 
portion of the last whorl. 
Description. Shell medium-sized for genus, solid, 
biconic, with inflated last whorl. Protoconch missing. 
Teleoconch of five whorls with superficial linear 
suture. Spire short, conical, with periphery at abapical 
suture. Sculpture on spire of very faint spiral threads, 
visible only under magnification. Last whorl large, 
approximately 80% of total height, convex, weakly 
constricted at base, bearing six to eight relatively 
broad axial ribs developed only on mid-portion of 
whorl. Aperture elongate, approximately 55% of total 
height. Outer lip weakly convex, slightly flared 
abapically, thickened by labral varix, smooth within, 
except for one heavy denticle about two-thirds of 
distance from anterior end to posterior end of lip. Anal 
canal very narrow, shallow; siphonal canal short, 
open, narrow, posteriorly recurved. Pariétal callus 
weakly developed immediately adjacent to anal canal, 
a thin callus wash below; columellar callus very 
slightly thickened. Columella bearing four strong 
oblique folds on abapical portion. Siphonal fasciole 
flattened, separated from base by small ridge of shell. 
Discussion. Hoerle & Vokes (1978) and Vokes (1998) 
considered Enaeta to be a subgenus of Lyria. 
However, we follow Poppe & Goto ( 1992) and Bail & 
Poppe (2002) and consider the différences between the 
two sufficiently important to separate them at generic 
level within the Lyriinae (for discussion on radular 
characteristics of the group and taxonomie position 
see Poppe & Goto 1992, p. 19). 
Two well-defined Enaeta species groups are 
présent in Tropical American Recent and Neogene 
assemblages. The first is represented in the fossils 
assemblages by Enaeta perturbatrix (Maury, 1917) 
from the Lower Pliocène Gurabo Formation of the 
Dominican Republic. It is characterized by an 
elongate fusiform shell with a high spire and sculpture 
of numerous, well-developed axial ribs, although they 
are only well-developed at the periphery on the last 
whorl. This species is an early représentative of the 
Caribbean group including E. guildingi (G. B. 
Sowerby 1, 1844), E. reevei Dali, 1907 and E. 
leonardhilli Petuch, 1988 (probably a synonym of E. 
guildingi ; Poppe & Goto 1992), which ail hâve the 
same elongate fusiform shell shape and differ in 
details of their sculpture. Ail these species seem to 
hâve two stronger anterior folds on the columella and 
several weaker ones above. Enaeta trechmanni Jung, 
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