''Morula'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of small, predatory
sea snails,
marine gastropod 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 in the subfalily
Ergalataxinae
Ergalataxinae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic subfamily of small to medium-sized predatory sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks within the family Muricidae, the rock snails.
In this subfamily, the aragonite, aragonitic gastrop ...
of the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Muricidae
Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly known as murex snails or rock snails. With about 1,600 living species, the Muricidae represent almost 10% of the Neoga ...
, the murex snails or rock snails.
Species
Species within the genus ''Morula'' include:
* ''
Morula aglaos''
(Houart, 1995)
* ''
Morula albanigra''
(Houart, 2002)
* ''
Morula ambrosia''
(Houart, 1995)
* ''
Morula angulata''
(G.B. Sowerby III, 1894)
* ''
Morula aspera''
(Lamarck, 1816)
* ''
Morula bicatenata''
(Reeve, 1846)
* ''
Morula biconica''
(Blainville, 1832)
* ''
Morula cernohorskyi''
(Houart & Tröndle, 1997)
* ''
Morula chrysostoma''
* ''
Morula coronata''
(H. Adams, 1869)
* ''
Morula dichrous''
(Tapparone-Canefri, 1880)
* ''
Morula echinata''
(Reeve, 1846)
* ''
Morula euryspira''
* ''
Morula fuscoimbricata''
(G.B. Sowerby III, 1915)
* ''
Morula iostoma''
(Reeve, 1846)
* ''
Morula japonica''
(G.B. Sowerby III, 1903)
* ''
Morula lepida''
(Houart, 1995)
* ''
Morula nodicostata''
(Pease, 1868)
* ''
Morula oparensis''
(Melvill, 1912)
* ''
Morula peasei''
* ''
Morula porphyrostoma''
(Reeve, 1846)
* ''
Morula praecipua''
(Rehder, 1980)
* ''
Morula rodgersi''
(Houart, 2000)
* ''
Morula spinosa''
(H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853)
* ''
Morula striata''
(Pease, 1868)
* ''
Morula uva''
* ''
Morula variabilis''
* ''
Morula whiteheadae''
(Houart, 2004)
* ''
Morula zebrina''
;Species brought into synonymy
* ''Morula (Azumamorula) mutica''
(Lamarck, 1816): synonym of ''
Azumamorula mutica''
(Lamarck, 1816)
* ''Morula anaxares''
(Kiener, 1835): synonym of ''
Muricodrupa anaxares''
(Kiener, 1836)
* ''Morula cancellata''
Quoy & Gaimard: synonym of ''
Muricodrupa fenestrata''
(Blainville, 1832)
* ''Morula concatenata''
(Lamarck, 1822): synonym of ''
Drupella rugosa''
(Born, 1778)
* ''Morula consanguinea''
(Smith, 1890): synonym of ''
Claremontiella consanguinea''
(E. A. Smith, 1890)
* ''Morula elata''
Blainville: synonym of ''
Drupella cornus''
(Röding, 1798)
* ''Morula fenestrata''
Blainville, 1832: synonym of ''
Muricodrupa fenestrata''
(Blainville, 1832)
* ''Morula funiculata''
(Reeve, 1846): synonym of ''
Oppomorus funiculatus''
(Reeve, 1846)
* ''Morula granulata''
(Duclos, 1832): synonym of ''
Tenguella granulata''
(Duclos, 1832)
* ''Morula margariticola''
(Broderip): synonym of ''
Ergalatax margariticola''
(Broderip, in Broderip & Sowerby, 1833)
* ''Morula marginalba''
(Blainville, 1832): synonym of ''
Tenguella marginalba
''Tenguella marginalba'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. It is commonly known as the mulberry whelk and is found in shallow waters in the Indo-Pacific and around t ...
''
(Blainville, 1832)
* ''Morula marginatra''
Blainville, 1832: synonym of ''
Semiricinula marginatra''
(Blainville, 1832)
* ''Morula musiva''
(Kiener, 1835): synonym of ''
Tenguella musiva''
(Kiener, 1835)
* ''Morula nodulifera'': synonym of ''
Oppomorus noduliferus''
(Menke, 1829)
* ''Morula nodulosa''
(C.B. Adams, 1845): synonym of ''
Claremontiella nodulosa''
(C. B. Adams, 1845)
* ''Morula ocellata'': synonym of ''
Ergalatax contracta''
(Reeve, 1846)
* ''Morula oparense''
(Melvill, 1912): synonym of ''
Morula oparensis''
(Melvill, 1912)
* ''Morula palmeri''
Powell, 1967: synonym of ''
Pascula palmeri''
(Powell, 1967) (original combination)
* ''Morula parva''
(Reeve, 1846): synonym of ''
Lauta parva
''Lauta parva'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Lauta parva (Reeve, 1846). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Speci ...
''
(Reeve, 1846)
* ''Morula purpureocincta''
(Preston, 1909): synonym of ''
Oppomorus purpureocinctus''
(Preston, 1909)
* ''Morula rosea''
(Reeve, 1846): synonym of ''
Muricopsis (Risomurex) roseus''
(Reeve, 1846)
* ''Morula rumphiusi''
Houart, 1996: synonym of ''
Murichorda rumphiusi''
(Houart, 1996)
* ''Morula squamiliratum''
Smith: synonym of ''
Orania serotina''
(A. Adams, 1853)
* ''Morula squamosa''
Pease: synonym of ''
Semiricinula squamosa''
(Pease, 1868)
* ''Morula tuberculata''
Blainville: synonym of ''Morula (Morula) granulata''
(Duclos, 1832)
Taxonomy
In 2002, Roland Houart described two new species and revised eight others, for a total 23 species of ''Morula'' .
He had previously (1994–1995) described ''Habromorula'' as a separate genus, containing 14 species that were earlier classified with ''
Spinidrupa
''Spinidrupa'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Ergalataxinae of the family Muricidae
Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, ...
'' sensu lato. In 2004, he placed ''
Azumamorula'', ''
Oppomorus
''Oppomorus'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.
Species
Species within the genus ''Oppomorus'' include:
* '' Oppomorus funiculatus'' (Reeve, 1846)
* '' Oppomorus nodu ...
'', and ''Habromorula'' into ''Morula'' as subgenera, and moved the whole group from subfamily
Rapaninae to Ergalataxinae.
Molecular genetics
In 2012–2013, Claremont ''et al''. published a study of sequences for four genes across numerous species of ''Morula'' and related molluscs. They found a
clade of 11 species, and proposed a restricted definition of ''Morula'' to include: ''M. aspera'', ''M. benedicta'', ''M. (Habromorula) biconica'', ''M. chrysostoma'', ''M. (H.) coronata'', ''M. (H.) japonica'', ''M. nodicostata'', ''M. (H.) spinosa'', ''M. (H.) striata,'' ''M. uva'' (type species), and ''M. zebrina.''
''Habromorula'' did not form a clade in this analysis, however the authors noted that "monophyly of this morphologically distinctive group is not strongly contradicted, so that further sampling and analysis could yet support ''Habromorula'' as a monophyletic subgenus of ''Morula''".
Subgenus ''Morula (Oppomorus)'' formed a separate clade; the authors proposed returning ''
Oppomorus
''Oppomorus'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.
Species
Species within the genus ''Oppomorus'' include:
* '' Oppomorus funiculatus'' (Reeve, 1846)
* '' Oppomorus nodu ...
'' to genus level, containing ''O. nodulifera'', ''O. funiculata'' and ''O. purpureocincta''.
''M. ceylonica'', ''M. granulata'', ''M. marginalba'', ''M. musiva'', and an undescribed species formed a distinct clade related to ''Muricodrupa''. The authors proposed resurrecting the genus name ''
Tenguella'', for which ''T. granulata'' is the type species. They note that these species "have not previously been recognized as a morphologically distinctive group".
''"Morula" anaxares'' was weakly related to ''Muricodrupa fenestrata'', and ''"Morula" nodulosa'' was sister to the ''Tenguella–
Muricodrupa
''Muricodrupa'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Ergalataxinae of the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.
Species
* '' Muricodrupa anaxares'' (Kiener, 1836) (previously ''Morula anaxares'')
* ...
'' group. ''"Morula" parva'' and ''"Morula" echinata'' placed in a third major clade, separate from the two that contain ''Tenguella'' and the main ''Morula'' group, respectively.
In response to the gene-sequence phylogeny, Houart, Zuccon and Puillandre formally described new genera in 2019: ''
Claremontiella
''Claremontiella'' is a genus of small, predatory sea snails, related to the genera ''Tenguella'' and ''Muricodrupa''. Its members are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Muricidae
Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of sma ...
'', ''
Murichorda
''Murichorda'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Ergalataxinae of the family Muricidae
Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, ...
'', and ''
Lauta
Lauta ( Sorbian: ''Łuty'') is a town in the district of Bautzen, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated 10 km west of Hoyerswerda, and 10 km southeast of Senftenberg.
History
From 1815 to 1945, within the Prussian Province of Brandenbur ...
''.
''C. nodulosa'', ''C. consanguinea'', ''Mur. rumphiusi'', and ''L. parva'' were previously in ''Morula''. They also moved ''Morula anaxares'' to ''
Muricodrupa anaxares'', and reassigned ''
M. palmeri'' to ''
Pascula
''Pascula'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae
Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly known as murex snails or ...
'', the latter on basis of morphology rather than gene sequence.
References
External links
{{Ergalataxinae-stub