Penion proavitus

Penion proavitus is an extinct species of marine snail or whelk, belonging to the true whelk family Buccinidae.[1][2][3][4]

Penion proavitus
Temporal range: Paleocene, 66–56 Ma
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Neogastropoda
Superfamily:
Buccinoidea
Family:
Buccinidae
Genus:
Penion
Species:
†P. proavitus
Binomial name
†Penion proavitus
(Finlay & Marwick, 1937)
Synonyms

Description

Penion proavitus fossils are the earliest known specimens of Penion siphon whelks.[2][3] The species was medium-to-large in size.[1][4]

It is possible that fossils of Penion proavitus represent a stem lineage that was the common ancestor of Penion, Kelletia and Antarctoneptunea, instead of a species of Penion itself.[3]

Distribution

Fossils of Penion proavitus are found in New Zealand's South Island.[1] The species lived in the seas surrounding Zealandia between 56 and 66 million million years ago (Teurian stage).[2]

References
  1. Finlay, Harold J.; Marwick, John (1937). "The Wangaloan and Associated Molluscan Faunas of Kaitangata-Green Island Subdivision". New Zealand Geological Survey Paleontological Bulletin. 15.
  2. Beu, Alan G.; Maxwell, P.A. (1990). Cenozoic Mollusca of New Zealand. New Zealand Geological Survey Bulletin. 58. Lower Hutt, New Zealand: New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. ISSN 0114-2283.
  3. Vaux, Felix; Hills, Simon F.K.; Marshall, Bruce A.; Trewick, Steven A.; Morgan-Richards, Mary (2017). "A phylogeny of Southern Hemisphere whelks (Gastropoda: Buccinulidae) and concordance with the fossil record". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 114 (2017): 367–381. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2017.06.018. PMID 28669812.
  4. WoRMS World Register of Marine Species: Penion proavitus (Finlay & Marwick, 1937) †
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