THE NAUTILUS 106(4):137-146, 1998
Page 137
The Genus Fulgoraria (Gastropoda: Volutidae) of the northeastern
Kamchatka Peninsula and Sakhahn Island, with Notes on the
Paleoecology and Distribution of the Subfamily Fulgorariinae in
the Oligocene of the northern Pacific
Anton E. Oleinik'
Hussiaii Acadfiin nt Sciences
Geological Institute
Pyzhevsky per. 7
109017 Moscow, Russia
ABSTRACT
Four new species of the genus Fulgoraria Sclnunacher, 1817,
(subgenus Musashia Ha\ashi. I960) are described from the
Oligocene Alugian Formation of the llpinsk\ Peninsula, north-
eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. Previously described ful-
gorariine gastropods from the same region, and from the Oli-
gocene of Sakhalin and Karaginsky Islands, are also figured.
Oxvgen isotopic analyses of contemporaneous Cyclocardia shells,
along with a comparison of the ecology of Recent congeneric
taxa and a paleoecologic anal) sis suggest a bath) al environment
as most probable for these Oligocene Fulgorariinae. .\ review
of the Oligocene biogeography of northern fuigorariines along
the northern Pacific margin, including the western coast of
North America, indicates that this subfamily had a much broad-
er distribution during late Paleogene time than today. These
data point to more favorable climatic conditions (including
lower water temperatures) for dispersal of fulgorariine volutes
during the Oligocene
Key words: Fulgorariinae; systematics; distribution; Oligo-
cene; Paleogene; Northern Pacific.
INTRODUCTION
Volutid gastropods are common as fossils in Cenozoic
faunas of the northern Pacific region. However, their
fossil record from some parts of this region, particularly
the far east of Russia, is still very incompletely known.
The subfamily Fulgorariinae Pilsbry and Oisson, 1954,
is the dominant group among North Pacific Cenozoic
volutes. Recent members of the "northern group" (Shi-
kama, 1967) of this subfamily are restricted to Japan and
adjacent seas. Less well-known extinct species occurred
along both eastern and western margins of the North
Pacific during both early and late Cenozoic time.
' Present Address: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sci-
ences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
The subfamily Fulgorariinae comprises a group of car-
nivorous gastropods with a uniserial radula composed of
tricuspid rachidian teeth (Cooke, 1922; Habe, 1943; Oku-
tani, 1963; Weaver & du Pont, 1970; Watanabe & Habe,
1978). The higher systematics of this subfamily is still
not fully resolved, with the two most recent revisions
(Shikama, 1967; Weaver & du Pont, 1970) differing pri-
marily in the ranking of supraspecific taxa. Shikama ( 1967)
recognizes three genera: Fulgoraria Schumacher, 1817,
Musashia Hayashi, 1960, and Saotomea Habe, 1943, as
well as the subgenera Psephaea Crosse, 1871, Nippon-
ornelon Shikama, 1967, Neopscphaea Takeda, 1953, and
Miopleiona Dall, 1907. The last two are known only as
fossils. Shikama's classification is based exclusively on
shell characters such as the number and shape of colu-
mellar plaits, the size and form of the protoconch, and
features of the external shell morphology. All of these
characters, especially the number of columellar plaits,
may vary during ontogeny. Interpreting this highly vari-
able shell morphology is further complicated when work-
ing with fossil specimens, as they are often incompletely
preserved.
Based on shell and radular characters, Weaver and du
Pont (1970) recognized only a single Recent north Pacific
genus Fulgoraria, with the subgenera Psephaea, Volu-
tipisrna Rehder, 1969, Musashia. Kurodina Rehder, 1969
and Saotomea. These authors regard Nipponornelon as
a synonsm of Musashia. and do not discuss the taxonomic
position of the fossil Neopsephaea and Miopleiona.
The present paper provisionally follows the classifi-
cation of Weaver and du Pont (1970), but includes Nip-
ponornelon. Miopleiona . and Neopsephaea as subgenera
of Fulgoraria.
Twenty-six species of Fulgorariinae from the latest
Eocene and Oligocene formations of the north Pacific
have been figured or described. Of these, eight are known
only from North America [Poul Creek and Narrow Cape
(of Sitkinak Island) Formations of Alaska; Blakeley, Twin
River, and Eugene Formations of Oregon and Washing-
The genus Fulgoraria (Gastropoda: Volutidae) of the northeastern Kamchatka Peninsula and Sakhalin Island, with notes on the paleoecology and distribution of the subfamily Fulgorariinae in the Oligocene of the northern Pacific
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