Cerion (gastropod)

Cerion
Temporal range: Early Miocene–Recent[1]
Drawing of a live individual of Cerion chrysalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Heterobranchia

clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Eupulmonata
clade Stylommatophora
informal group Sigmurethra
Superfamily: Urocoptoidea
Family: Cerionidae
Genus: Cerion
Röding, 1798[2]
Diversity
about 600 nominal species[1]

Cerion is a genus of small to medium-sized tropical air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropods in the family Cerionidae, sometimes known as the peanut snails. The genus is endemic to the Caribbean region.

The name Cerion is based on the Greek word Kerion, signifying honeycomb, and is given to these shells because the form of the shell resembles that of a beehive; hence they were at once time known as beehive shells.[3]

The fossil range of Cerion is possibly from the Upper Cretaceous of Montana, or the early Miocene of Florida.[1] Records of Cerion in Pleistocene are rare.[1]

Species

Species within the genus Cerion include:

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Cerion: a web-based resource for Cerion research and identification". accessed 5 April 2011.
  2. ^ Röding P. F. (1798). Museum Boltenianum sive catalogus cimeliorum e tribus regnis naturæ quæ olim collegerat Joa. Fried Bolten, M. D. p. d. per XL. annos proto physicus Hamburgensis. Pars secunda continens conchylia sive testacea univalvia, bivalvia & multivalvia. pp. [1-3], [1-8], 1-199. Hamburg. page 90.
  3. ^ Baker F. C. (1903). Shells of land and water; a familiar introduction to the study of the mollusks. Chicago, A.W. Mumford, page 48.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl "Mollusca". Diversidad Biológica Cubana, accessed 23 March 2011.

Further reading