Cochlis gebhardti Harzhauser, Landau & Guzhov, 2025, nov. sp.

Cochlis gebhardti nov. sp. Figs 9A–C Natica millepunctata Lam.— Schaffer 1912: 165, pl. 54, figs 5–7 [non Natica millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 = Naticarius stercusmuscarum (Gmelin, 1791)]. Type material. Holotype: GBA 1912 /004/16/1, SL: 28.6 mm, MD: 29.1 mm, Mörtersdorf (Austria), illustrated in Schaffer (1912: pl. 54, fig. 5), Figs 9A 1 –A 4. Paratypes: GBA 1912 /004/16/2, SL: 26.1 mm, MD: 26.5 mm, Loibersdorf (Austria), illustrated in Schaffer (1912: pl. 54, fig. 6), Figs 9B 1 –B 4. GBA 1912 /004/16/3, SL: 22.6 mm, MD: 24.2 mm, Loibersdorf (Austria), illustrated in Schaffer (1912: pl. 54, fig. 7), Figs 9C 1 –C 4. Type locality. Mörtersdorf (Austria), northeastern North Alpine Foreland Basin. Type stratum. Sand of the Loibersdorf Formation (Mandic et al. 2004). Age. Early Miocene, early Eggenburgian (Burdigalian). Etymology. In honor of Holger Gebhardt, paleontologist at the GeoSphere Austria, in recognition of his contributions to micropaleontology and stratigraphy. Diagnosis. Medium sized, depressed-globose shell with moderately low spire, narrow subsutural shelf and strongly expanding last whorl, umbilicus very wide, open with very broad, very low, poorly delimited funicle. Description. Medium sized, depressed globose shell of about four teleoconch whorls; slightly wider than high (SL/MD = 0.0–1.0). Spire moderately low with convex whorls; apical angle 116–127°. Protoconch unknown. Suture linear, narrow, slightly incised. Teleoconch whorls with narrow, weakly convex subsutural shelf, delimited by faint shoulder angulation. Last whorl strongly expanding and dorsoventrally depressed, inflated, attaining ~92–95% of total height. Periphery placed below mid-whorl (~44%). Growth lines distinct and weakly prosocyrt in apical view, weak at periphery.Aperture wide, D-shaped. Position of adapical tip of aperture moderately high (~84%) above mid-whorl, far below shoulder. Aperture attaining ~80% of total height. Columellar lip narrow, weakly reinforced, basal lip slightly expanded, outer lip thin. Columellar angle ~12–27°. Opercular ridge in outer lip unknown. Umbilicus wide (~20%), deep, with prominent, blunt growth lines. Parietal callus short (~37%), thickened, rectangular with straight margin.Anterior lobe insignificant. Funicle very low, very broad, poorly defined.Adapical and abapical sulci broad and shallow; abapical sulcus delimited by broad, low spiral ridge. Umbilical callus weak, low to insignificant, well separated from parietal callus. Basal fasciole broad, rounded to weakly angled at aperture, with prominent growth lines. Color pattern not preserved. Operculum unknown. Discussion. Cochlis gebhardti nov. sp. co-occurs with the morphologically similar Cochlis transgrediens (Schaffer, 1912), from which it differs in its much wider umbilicus, more expanding last whorl and the well-separated umbilical and parietal calluses, which are fused in C. transgrediens. Cochlis sallomacensis (Tournouër, 1873), from the Early Miocene of France and Italy, has a narrower and better defined funicle (Robba et al. 2016: pl. 3, figs 7–10). Cochlis tigrina (Defrance, 1825), from the Early Miocene of France and Italy, has a much narrower umbilical channel and a less expanding last whorl (Robba et al. 2016: pl. 4, figs 1–5). Cochlis depressofuniculata (Sacco, 1891), from the Late Miocene of Italy, is reminiscent of Cochlis gebhardti nov. sp. in shell profile but differs in the slightly narrower umbilicus and more raised and narrower funicle (Pedriali & Robba 2005: pl. 1, 1–8). The Middle Miocene Cochlis cuniculata nov. sp. has an even weaker funicle and a less expanding last whorl. Paleoenvironment. Sandy, coastal environments (Mandic et al. 2004). Distribution in Central Paratethys. Eggenburgian(Early Miocene): North Alpine Foreland Basin: Loibersdorf, Mörtersdorf (Austria) (hoc opus).