Stromboidea

• Aporrhaidae
  • Cuphosolenus
    • Cuphosolenus tarrantensis (Stanton, 1947)

Original Description of Aporrhais tarrantensis by Stanton, 1947

• "Shell larger than Aporrhais nuecensis and of the same general form and robust habit, consisting of 8 or more whorls; apical angle 20° to 25°; suture impressed; whorls of the spire regularly convex, each bearing about 20 small, strongly curved costae crossed by about 15 moderately coarse spiral lines; last whorl bearing a large subcarinate ridge considerably above the middle and passing out to the principal digitation of the outer lip, also commonly bearing a second less conspicuous ridge a little above the middle; on internal molds a broad, rather deep furrow extends parallel with the axis from the principal carina about halfway to the anterior end and marks the beginning of the expanded outer lip; posterior canal short, attached to the penultimate whorl and sometimes to thepreceding one; anterior canal relatively short and straight; full form of the palmately spreading outer lip not known, but probably very nearly like that of A. nuecensis Stanton; at least the broadly expanded portion is similar, and the anterior and posterior digitations have about the same relative positions; columella with a very heavy callus which is thickest just below the middle."
• "This species is one of the most common fossils of the Fredericksburg group and is the most abundant representative of the Aporrhaidae in the Comanche series. Several hundred specimens in the Geological Survey and National Museum collections are provisionally referred to it, but they are nearly all more or less imperfect internal molds, not showing the full form of the outer lip, and many without anytraces of external sculpture. The most closely related Comanche forms are Aporrhais nuecensis and A. travisensis, from both of which it may be easily distinguished, if any of the sculpture is preserved, by its finer and more numerous costae and more prominent spiral lines; the form of the outer lip also is clearly different from that of A. travisensis."

Comment by Stanton: This species is one of the most common fossils of the Fredericksburg group and is the most abundant representative of the Aporrhaidae in the Comanche series. Several hundred specimens in the Geological Survey and National Museum collections are provisionally referred to it, but they arenearly all more or less imperfect internal molds, noe showing the full form of the outer lip,and many without anytraces of external sculpture. The most closely related Comanche forms are Aporrhais nuecensis and A. travisensis, from both of wich it may be easily distinguished, if any of the sculpture is preserved, by its finer and more numerous costae and more prominent spiral lines; the form of the outer lip also is clearly different from thaht of A. travisensis.

Locus typicus: The Goodland limestone near Marshall's farm about 10 miles northwest of Denison in Grayson County (type locality); Comanche Peak limestone, and probably also the Walnut formation, 8 or 10 miles west of Fort Worth near Benbrook in Tarrant County; Comanche Peak limestone at Comanche Peak in Travis County, Seven Knobs in Somerwell County, Chalk Mountain in Erath County, near Fredericksburg in Gillespie County, at numerous localities near Austin in Travis County, and in the Fredericksburg group near El Paso, Texas; Fort Worth limestone at Fort Worth in Tarrant County, and near Bartons Springs in the neighborhood of Austin, Travis County; Washita group near Kent in Culberson County, Texas. Thus it seems to range through the Fredericksburg group into the Washita.

Stratum typicum: Albian, Cretaceous

Types: Coll. U.S.N.M.; Holotype, No. 77583; Paratypes, No. 77584, 77585.

Dimensions: The best preserved of the types, a specimen of about average size, imperfect at both extremities, measures 61mm in height, and 25mm in maximum breadth exclusive of the expanded wing; with the apex and beak, restored the height would be about 72mm.

Specimens from institutional collections

Aporrhais tarrantensis Stanton, 1947; Fredericksburg Group, Goodland Formation, early Cretaceous; about 170 ft of crumbly ls, hillside gullies, Benbrook, Tarrant County, Texas, USA; Coll. Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History IP 340295

Specimens from private collections

Cuphosolenus tarrantensis (Stanton, 1947); Comanche Peak Limestone, Lower Albian, Lower Cretaceous; Texas, USA; 64,5 mm; Coll. Philippe Simonet

References

• Stanton, 1947