Lepidopleurus reitanoi Dell'Angelo, Sosso & Taviani, 2025, sp. nov.

Lepidopleurus reitanoi sp. nov. Fig. 7 Type material. Holotype: MSNG 62625, intermediate valve, width 8.6 mm (Figs 7E–F). Paratype 1: MNHN. F.A98469, intermediate valve, width 9 mm (Figs 7G–H); Paratype 2: SMF 380818, tail valve, width 6.6 mm (Figs 7I–J); Paratype 3: MSNG 62626, tail valve, width 4.3 mm (Figs 7K–L); Paratype 4: MSNG 62627, head valve, width 6 mm, (Figs 7A–D). Type locality. Salice (Sicily, Italy). Type stage. Lower Pleistocene. Etymology. The name honors Agatino Reitano (Messina, Italy), for his contribution to the study and research of fossils from the Sicily. Material examined. Pleistocene: Italy: Sicily: Salice: type material plus 10 valves (BD 332), Furnari: 1 valve (BD 257). Maximum width of the valves: 6 / 9 / 6.3 mm. Diagnosis. Valves solid, head valve semicircular, intermediate valves broadly rectangular, rounded, elevated, apex inconspicuous, tail valve elliptical, mucro flat, subcentral. Tegmentum coarse, sculptured with roundish granules irregularly disposed and concentric and elevated ribs in HV, LA, PMA, with many longitudinal chains of elongate granules and inconspicuous concentric ribs in CA, AMA. Articulamentum without insertion laminae, apophyses wide. Description. Valves solid. Head valve semicircular, posterior margin almost straight, front slope straight. Intermediate valves wide, broadly rectangular, length about half the width, rounded in anterior profile, elevated (H/ W = 0.43–0.45), anterior margin slightly convex, side margins very rounded, posterior margins straight with apex inconspicuous, lateral areas strongly raised. Tail valve elliptical (W/L = 1.63–1.74), anterior margin convex, mucro flat, in central position, antemucronal slope slightly convex, postmucronal slope almost straight. Tegmentum coarse. HV, LA and PMA sculptured with numerous and well separated each other roundish granules, irregularly disposed, with presence of concentric and elevated ribs, 2-3 stronger in LA, someone more and less marked in HV and PMA. CA and AMA sculptured with many longitudinal chains of elongate granules, finer in jugal area, slightly oblique near side margins, with inconspicuous, barely visible, concentric ribs. Articulamentum without insertion laminae, apophyses wide. Remarks. Coherently with most Lepidopleuru s spp., the valves of this taxon are rather robust, although not perfectly preserved so that we have no complete intermediate valves. The sculpture is characteristic, the longitudinal chains of granules on the intermediate valves are fairly regular, the intercostal spaces are narrow and smooth. The granules are irregularly disposed in LA and PMA, not arranged in radial chains. Comparisons. The sculpture of Lepidopleurus reitanoi sp. nov. is different from that of the other species of Lepidopleurus here discussed. The longitudinal chains of granules of CA and AMA are broadly regular, not more or less branching or anastomosing as in L. cajetanus (Poli, 1791), L. benoisti (de Rochebrune, 1882), L. pseudobenoisti Dell’Angelo et al., 2018b and L. virgifer (Sandberger, 1859). Further, the sculpture of LA with roundish granules irregularly disposed and some concentric ribs is different from that of L. cajetanus, L. benoisti, L. pseudobenoisti and L. virgifer, all showing irregular radial chains of granules, sometimes branching or anastomosing, intersected by concentric, more or less terraced ribs. Lepidopleurus gallicus Dell’Angelo, Landau, Van Dingenen & Ceulemans, 2018 differs from Lepidopleurus reitanoi sp. nov. by the more numerous longitudinal chains of granules on AMA (less than half in L. reitanoi sp. nov.), and the radial chains of granules on PMA (vs. granules irregularly disposed in L. reitanoi sp. nov.). Distribution. Lower Pleistocene: central Mediterranean, S. Italy: Salice, Furnari (this study).