| Argyropeza Temporal range: Pliocene–Present |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Sorbeoconcha |
| Superfamily: | Cerithioidea |
| Family: | Procerithiidae |
| Subfamily: | Argyropezinae Bandel, 2006[1] |
| Genus: | Argyropeza Melvill & Standen, 1901[2] |
| Type species | |
| Argyropeza divina Melvill & Standen, 1901 |
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| Species | |
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See text |
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Argyropeza is a genus of small deep-sea sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Procerithiidae.[3]
The name of this genus is derived from the Greek word arguropeza ("silver foot"), the epithet given by Homer to the sea nymph Thetis.
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The genus Argyropeza is closely related to the genus Bittium, but the shells of species in this genus are thinner and more vitreous, and the suture is more deeply impressed.
This genus is not well known and its systematic position has long been uncertain. It was sometimes assigned to the Litiopidae Gray, 1847 or to the Cerithiinae within Cerithiidae,[4] both belonging to the same superfamily Cerithioidea.
It was moved to Procerithiidae because of its similarity with Crypaulax.[5] Then Argyropeza can be a living fossil.[5]
According to Taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) Argyropeza is within subfamily Cryptaulacinae within Procerithiidae.
According to Bandel (2006)[1] is Argyropeza within the newly described subfamily Argyropezinae Bandel, 2006 within Procerithiidae.[1]
The snails of this deep-sea genus can be found on the continental slopes and island groups in the Indo-Pacific region (Arabian Sea, Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Papua, New Guinea, Vanuatu and South Africa).[4] They are detrivores, obtaining their nutrients from detritus and soft sediment.[4]
They are small snails (6 to 8 mm in length) with a thin, vitreous shell that is elongated and has a pointed spire with a smooth tip. The number of the whorls varies between 9 and 12. The shell is sculptured with low axial ribs. Each whorl is marked by two spiral ribs with sharp nodules. The ovate aperture has a marked siphonal canal and a weak anal canal. The aperture is closed off by a thin, corneous, cerithioid operculum that is multispiral and almost circular. The outer lip is thin. The columella is concave. Their protoconch has 3½ whorls and are sculptured with two spiral lirae.[4]
Until the study of Richard S. Houbrick (1980)[4] almost nothing had been written about the soft parts of these snails. The animal has a long siphon. The cephalic tentacles have the eyes at their base. The taenioglossate radula has a quadrate rachdian tooth, flanked on each side a trapezoidal lateral tooth and two long marginal teeth. Their larvae are pelagic.[4]
Species within the genus Aryropeza include: