''Micropilina'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
monoplacophora
Monoplacophora , meaning "bearing one plate", is a polyphyletic superclass of molluscs with a cap-like shell inhabiting deep sea environments . Extant representatives were not recognized as such until 1952; previously they were known only from ...
n
mollusc
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...
s. They are very small, mostly deepwater animals which have a superficially
limpet
Limpets are a group of aquatic snails that exhibit a conical shell shape (patelliform) and a strong, muscular foot. Limpets are members of the class Gastropoda, but are polyphyletic, meaning the various groups called "limpets" descended indep ...
-like shell.
In addition to a number of living, deep-sea species, this genus also includes a shallow water fossil from the middle
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...
of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
- and this is the only
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
representative of this lineage subsequent to the
Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...
period.
All currently known ''Micropilina'' species are less than 1.5 mm in length. Except for ''
Micropilina minuta'', they are all found in the Southern Hemisphere.
[Kano, Y., Kimura, S., Kimura, T. and Warén, A. (2012), Living Monoplacophora: morphological conservatism or recent diversification?. ''Zoologica Scripta'', 41: 471-488. ]
Species
Species in the genus ''Micropilina'' include:
Recent species:
* ''
Micropilina arntzi'' Warén & Hain, 1992
* ''
Micropilina minuta'' Warén, 1989
* ''
Micropilina rakiura'' Marshall, 1998
* ''
Micropilina reingi'' Marshall, 2006
* ''
Micropilina tangaroa'' Marshall, 1992
* ''
Micropilina wareni
''Micropilina wareni'' is a species of monoplacophoran, a superficially limpet-like marine mollusc. It is found off the coast of New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consis ...
'' Marshall, 2006
Fossil species:
External links
Interactive 3D model contained within PDF of
References
Monoplacophora
Mollusc genera
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