Stephopoma
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Stephopoma is a genus of sea snails known as "worm shells" or "worm snails". These are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Siliquariidae.
Stephopoma 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
The shell is elongated, a loosely coiled spiral tube, without septa, living in communal masses. The animal has a well developed operculum, set with hair-like processes. The gills may be protruding to operate as a sweeping net.
[edit] Species within the genus Stephopoma
- Stephopoma abrolhosense
- Stephopoma levispinosum
- Stephopoma mammillatus
- Stephopoma myrakeenae
- Stephopoma nucleocostata
- Stephopoma nucleogranosum
- Stephopoma pennatum
- Stephopoma roseum (Quoy and Gaimard, 1834)
- Stephopoma tricuspe
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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
[edit] References
- [1]
- Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
