Serpulorbis
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Serpulorbis is a genus of sea snails known as worm shells or wormsnails. These are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Vermetidae, the wormsnails. Unlike some other vermetids, the species in this genus have no operculum.
Serpulorbis snails have shells which are long and irregular. They do not have regular coiling like that of a typical gastropod shell, and they are usually cemented onto a hard surface. Because of all this, the shells resemble those of certain marine worms.
[edit] Shell description
These snails have elongated tubular shells, moulded to the surface of attachment, and with the apertural part usually free, the opening directed upward. There is no operculum. Damaged sections of the shell can be sealed off by calcareous septa when necessary.
[edit] Species within the genus Serbulorbis
- Serpulorbis aotearoicus Morton, 1951
- Serpulorbis decussatus (Gmelin, 1791) - decussate wormsnail
- Serpulorbis squamiger (Carpenter, 1856) - scaled wormsnail
- Serpulorbis zelandicus (Quoy and Gaimard, 1834)
[edit] References
- Serpulorbis (TSN 71354). Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
