Semicassis globosum (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Cassidae) from the upper Eocene Ocala Limestone of Florida with redescription and discussion of its extreme morphological variability

This study aimed to resolve the taxonomy of cassid gastropods from the upper Eocene Ocala Limestone based on specimens collected from Florida Museum of Natural History locality AL004. In 1890, Dall described a specimen from this formation, collected in a nearby county as Phalium globosum (subfamily Phaliinae). However, further collection of cassids from AL004 suggested the presence of more than one morphologically distinct taxon. Eocene cassids are particularly interesting because that is presumably the time when cassids experienced rapid diversification, which has implications for the evolutionary history of echinoid-cassid predator-prey interactions. Based on 75 specimens from AL004, it appears that the specimens interpreted as belonging to two or more morphologically distinct taxa are more likely members of a single species with extreme morphological variability, redescribed here as Semicassis globosum. Results of morphometric analyses using nine qualitatively defined cassid morphotaxa (subfamily Phaliinae) suggest that S. globosum is characterised by high intraspecific variability in shell morphology that may reflect high ecophenotypic variability or elevated intraspecific genetic variability. This study highlights the challenges associated with delineating species status using low numbers of specimens, as a dearth of diagnostic material may lead to taxonomic over-splitting, thereby resulting in an inflated estimate of biodiversity.

Automated summary

This study aims to resolve the taxonomy of cassid gastropods from the upper Eocene Ocala Limestone. The study concludes that the specimens belong to a single species with extreme morphological variability, and highlights the challenges associated with delineating species status using low numbers of specimens.