Scissurellidae

Scissurellidae
Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous–Recent
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Superphylum: Lophotrochozoa
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
clade: Vetigastropoda
Superfamily: Scissurelloidea
Family: Scissurellidae
Gray, 1847
Genera

See text
Synonyms[1]
  • Anatomidae
  • Larocheidae

Scissurellidae, sometimes known by the common name little slit snails, are a taxonomic family of minute sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs or micromolluscs in the clade Vetigastropoda (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005). [1]

The shells of these snails vary in adult size from less than 6 mm to less than 1 mm.

Contents

Distribution

Scissurellids occur world-wide, from the intertidal zone down to the abyssal depths, including around hydrothermal vents.

Taxonomy

There are about 169 living described species of Scissurellidae, but the diversity of scissurellids is still far from being completely assessed (approximately 60 collected species await description).[2] The monophyly of the family is questionable.[3]

There were about twenty-five genera divided into five subfamilies (Scissurellinae, Anatominae, Sutilizoninae, Temnocinclinae, Larocheinae) recognized in 2003.[4] Three of them were updated to family level later.

This family consists of two following subfamilies (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005):

However Geiger (2009)[5] elevated Depressizoninae to the family rank as Depressizonidae.

Genera

Genera in the family Scissurellidae include:[6][7][8][9]

References

  1. ^ a b Bouchet, P. (2011). Scissurellidae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1730 on 2011-05-08
  2. ^ Geiger D. L. (2006). "Eight new species of Scissurellidae and Anatomidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Vetigastropoda) from around the world, with discussion of two new senior synonyms". Zootaxa 1128: 1–33. PDF.
  3. ^ Geiger D. L. & Jansen P. (2004). "New species of Australian Scissurellidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Vetigastropoda) with remarks on Australian and Indo-Malayan species". Zootaxa 714: 1–72. abstract.
  4. ^ Geiger D. L. (2003). "Phylogenetic assessment of characters proposed for the generic classification of Recent Scissurellidae (Gastropoda: Vetigastropoda) with a description of one new genus and six new species from Easter Island and Australia". Molluscan Research 23(1): 21-83. doi:10.1071/MR02017, abstract. PDF.
  5. ^ Geiger D. L.(8 May 2009) "A new species of Depressizona and the family rank of Depressizonidae". Zootaxa 2059: 57-59. abstract, full article.
  6. ^ "Scissurellidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=69473. 
  7. ^ Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
  8. ^ Seashells of NSW
  9. ^ [1]
  10. ^ Geiger D. L. & McLean J. H. (10 February 2010) "New species and records of Scissurellidae and Anatomidae from the Americas (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Vetigastropoda)". Zootaxa 2356: 1-35, 24 plates. preview.

Further reading