''Moelleriopsis'' 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
sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...
s,
marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
gastropod
The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...
mollusk
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 e ...
s unassigned in the
superfamily
SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP superfamilies. Domains are functional, str ...
Seguenzioidea
Seguenzioidea is a superfamily of minute to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Vetigastropoda.Gofas, S. (2010). Seguenzioidea. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed ...
.
Description
The small shell of these deep-water species is relatively thin. It is white under a golden brown or olive brown epidermis. It contains few, convex
whorl
A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs).
Whorls in nature
File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...
s, forming an elevated
spire
A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...
and large
body whorl
The body whorl is part of the morphology of the shell in those gastropod mollusks that possess a coiled shell. The term is also sometimes used in a similar way to describe the shell of a cephalopod mollusk.
In gastropods
In gastropods, the b ...
. The
suture is distinct. The round and deep
umbilicus has a moderate size, showing some of the whorls. The circular
aperture
In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane.
An opt ...
is slightly oblique. The
peristome is continuous with a thin, sharp edge, appearing thickened within. It is attached to the body whorl only for a short distance.
Species
Species within the genus ''Moelleriopsis'' include:
* ''
Moelleriopsis abyssicola''
Bush, 1897
* ''
Moelleriopsis atlantis
''Moelleriopsis'' is a genus of sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks unassigned in the superfamily (biology), superfamily Seguenzioidea.
Description
The small shell of these deep-water species is relatively thin. It is white und ...
''
Hoffman, Gofas & Freiwald, 2020
* †''
Moelleriopsis carinaspira''
Lozouet, 1999
* ''
Moelleriopsis gritta''
Hoffman in Hoffman, Gofas & Freiwald, 2020
* ''
Moelleriopsis messanensis
''Moelleriopsis messanensis'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk unassigned in the superfamily Seguenzioidea.
Description
The size of the shell varies between 1.6 mm and 2.4 mm.
Distribution
This species occurs in ...
''
(Seguenza, 1876)
* ''
Moelleriopsis meteorminora''
Hoffman, Gofas & Freiwald, 2020
* ''
Moelleriopsis nipponica''
(Okutani, 1964)
* ''
Moelleriopsis normani
''Moelleriopsis normani'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk unassigned in the superfamily Seguenzioidea.
Description
Distribution
This species occurs in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores
)
, motto =( en, "Rather die fre ...
''
(Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1897)
* ''
Moelleriopsis poppei''
Engl, 2012
* ''
Moelleriopsis richardi
''Moelleriopsis richardi'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk unassigned in the superfamily Seguenzioidea.
Description
Distribution
This species occurs in the Atlantic Ocean at bathyal depths off the Azores
)
, motto =( ...
''
(Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1896)
* ''
Moelleriopsis sincera''
(Dall, 1890)
* ''
Moelleriopsis valvatoides
''Skenea valvatoides'' is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Skeneidae.
Description
The diameter of the shell attains 3.1 mm. The rather solid, yellowish white shell is narrowly umbilicated. it is opaque ...
''
(Jeffreys, 1883)
* ''
Moelleriopsis vemae''
(Clarke, 1961)
* ''
Moelleriopsis watsoni
''Moelleriopsis watsoni'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk, unassigned in the superfamily Seguenzioidea
Seguenzioidea is a superfamily of minute to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Vetigastro ...
''
(Tryon, 1888)
;Species brought into synonymy:
* ''Moelleriopsis valvatoides''
(Jeffreys, 1883): synonym of ''
Skenea valvatoides''
(Jeffreys, 1883)
References
* Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). ''European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification''. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 180–213
* Spencer, H.; Marshall. B. (2009). ''All Mollusca except Opisthobranchia.'' In: Gordon, D. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity. Volume One: Kingdom Animalia. 584 pp
External links
Bush, K. (1897). Revision of the marine gastropods referred to Cyclostrema, Adeorbis, Vitrinella and related genera with descriptions of some new genera and species belonging to the Atlantic fauna of America. Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences. 10: 97-144.Clarke, A. H. (1961). Abyssal mollusks from the South Atlantic Ocean. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 4, 345-387 Serge GOFAS, Ángel A. LUQUE, Joan Daniel OLIVER, José TEMPLADO & Alberto SERRA (2021) - The Mollusca of Galicia Bank (NE Atlantic Ocean); European Journal of Taxonomy 785: 1–114
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6890154