Protoarchivolva aurorae n. gen., n. sp. (Gastropoda: Ovulidae) from the Lower Lutetian (Middle Eocene) of Vicenza, Italy

A highly unusual member of the family Ovulidae has been discovered in the form of a new fossil species from the middle Eocene of Vicenza, Italy. It is closely related to the genus Archivolva, so far solely represented by modern species living from the tropical Pacific to the Red Sea through the Indian Ocean. The new genus Protoarchivolva n. gen. is introduced, in consideration of its particularly protruding protoconch and other major differences never before observed in contemporary Archivolva species. It thus directly echoes the genus Protocypraedia of the family Pediculariidae, represented in Europe and Indonesia, and grouping together the most archaic species related to the genus Cypraedia