Ran across this specimen as I was cleaning up my fossil workroom today. It is the rare Dolicholatirus exilis (Gabb, 1873), from the Miocene Chipola Formation of Florida. The specimen is 25 mm in height, and was collected from the coral reef facies several years ago. The species was originally described by Gabb from the Dominican Republic, where it occurs in both the Gurabo and Cercado Formations.
Dr. Emily Vokes first documented this species from the Chipola Formation in 1977. At the time, she mentioned that there were only 4 specimens of the species in the Tulane collections — one from the Gurabo Formation, one from the Cercado Formation, and two from the Chipola Formation (one from the basal beds, and another from the paleo-shoreline). My specimen is comparable in size to those figured by Dr. Vokes, indicating that it is a full-sized adult.
Dolicholatirus exilis (click to enlarge)
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Reference:
Vokes, E H. (1977). “Notes on the Fauna of the Chipola Formation — XXII, On the Occurrence of Dolicholatirus (Mollusca: Gastropoda), Tulane Studies in Geology and Paleontology, Vol. 13(4), pp. 195-198.
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