''Nassa'' 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 ...

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 ...

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 in the subfamily

Rapaninae Rapaninae is a subfamily of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae.Houart, R. (2011). Rapaninae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1962 ...

of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 Neogas ...

, the murex snails or rock snails.

Taxonomy

The history of the name ''Nassa'' is rather confused, because the name was allocated twice: * ''Nassa'' Röding, 1798 for mainly muricid species with the type species : ''Nassa picta'' Röding, 1798 (= ''Nassa serta'' (Bruguière, 1798). * ''Nassa'' Lamarck, 1799 : established for the species ''Buccinum mutabile'' Linnaeus, 1758, which is now classified as a synonym of ''

Nassarius ''Nassarius'', common name nassa mud snails (USA) or dog whelks (UK), is a genus of minute to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Nassariidae.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2010). Nassarius Duméril, 1806. In: Bouchet, P.; ...

'' Duméril, 1805 in the family

Nassariidae The Nassariidae, Nassa mud snails (USA), or dog whelks (UK), are a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Neogastropoda. "Dog whelk" also refers to ''Nucella lapillus''. Shell description T ...

. In the 19th and much of the 20th century, all species that were added to the genus ''Nassa'' were Nassa mud snails belonging to the family Nassariidae. After the rediscovery of Röding's catalogue of his collection ''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'', the muricid genus ''Nassa'' Röding, 1798 was given priority over the genus ''Nassa'' named by Lamarck. ''Nassa'' Lamarck was then synonymized with its oldest synonym ''

'' Duméril, 1806 by a ruling of the

ICZN The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its publisher, the I ...

Op. 96, Direction 48 (21 Nov 1956) and then to ''Nassarius (Sphaeronassa)'' Locard, 1886.

Species

Species within the genus ''Nassa'' include: * '' Nassa francolina'' (Bruguière, 1789) * '' Nassa serta'' (Bruguière, 1789) * '' Nassa situla'' (Reeve, 1846) * '' Nassa tuamotuensis'' Houart, 1996 ;Species based on ''Nassa'' Röding brought into synonymy : * ''Nassa francolinus'' (Bruguière, 1789): synonym of '' Nassa francolina'' (Bruguière, 1789) * ''Nassa hepatica'' (Pulteney, 1799): synonym of '' Nassarius hepaticus'' (Pulteney, 1799) * ''Nassa ligata'' Röding, 1798: synonym of ''

Nucella lapillus The dog whelk, dogwhelk, or Atlantic dogwinkle (''Nucella lapillus'') is a species of predatory sea snail, a carnivorous marine gastropod in the family Muricidae, the rock snails. ''Nucella lapillus'' was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Nassa lunata'' Say, 1826: synonym of '' Astyris lunata'' (Say, 1826) * ''Nassa molliana'' Chemnitz, 1780: synonym of '' Babylonia valentiana'' (Swainson, 1822) * ''Nassa picta'' Röding, 1798: synonym of '' Nassa serta'' (Bruguière, 1789) * ''Nassa rudis'' Roding, 1798: synonym of ''

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Nassa subcancellata'' Turton, 1932: synonym of '' Aesopus angustus'' Lussi, 2001 * ''Nassa varians'' Dunker, 1860: synonym of '' Mitrella bicincta'' (Gould, 1860) ; Species based on Nassa ''Lamarck'' brought into synonymy : * ''Nassa costulata'' (Renieri, 1804): synonym of '' Nassarius cuvierii'' (Payraudeau, 1826) * ''Nassa granum'': synonym of '' Nassarius grana'' (Lamarck, 1822) * ''Nassa kraussiana'' Dunker, 1846: synonym of ''

Nassarius kraussianus ''Nassarius kraussianus'', common name the tick shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks. Description The size of the shell varies from 6 mm to 10 mm. ...

'' (Dunker, 1846) * ''Nassa lathraia'': synonym of '' Nassarius sinusigerus'' (A. Adams, 1852) * ''Nassa miser'' (Dall, 1908): synonym of ''

Nassarius coppingeri ''Nassarius'', common name nassa mud snails (USA) or dog whelks (UK), is a genus of minute to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Nassariidae.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2010). Nassarius Duméril, 1806. In: Bouchet, P.; ...

'' (E.A. Smith, 1881) * ''Nassa munda'': synonym of ''

Nassarius idyllius ''Nassarius idyllius'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the nassa mud snails (USA) or dog whelks (UK). Description The shell grows to a length of 5 mm Distribution This species is distribut ...

'' (Melvill & Standen, 1901) * ''Nassa obockensis'': synonym of ''

Nassarius deshayesianus ''Nassarius deshayesianus'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the nassa mud snails (USA) or dog whelks (UK). Description The shell grows to a length of 15 mm Distribution This species occurs ...

'' (Issel, 1866) * ''Nassa optima'' G.B. Sowerby III, 1903: synonym of ''

Nassarius optimus ''Nassarius optimus'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the nassa snails. Description The shell size varies between 20 mm and 30 mm. Distribution This species occurs in the Indian Ocean ...

'' (G.B. Sowerby III, 1903) * ''Nassa pagoda'' (Reeve, 1844): synonym of '' Nassarius pagodus'' (Reeve, 1844) * ''Nassa pulla'' (Linnaeus, 1758): synonym of '' Nassarius pullus'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Nassa semistriata'': synonym of † '' Nassarius semistriatus'' (Brocchi, 1814) * ''Nassa steindachneri'': synonym of '' Nassarius siquijorensis'' (A. Adams, 1852) * ''Nassa stiphra'': synonym of '' Nassarius agapetus'' (Watson, 1882) * ''Nassa tegula'' Reeve, 1853: synonym of '' Nassarius striatus'' (C.B. Adams, 1852) * ''Nassa xesta'': synonym of ''

Nassarius comptus ''Nassarius comptus'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks. There is one subspecies : ''Nassarius comptus polita'' (Marrat, 1880) Description The shell size varies ...

'' (A. Adams, 1852)

References

* Houart R. (1996) ''The genus Nassa Röding 1798 in the Indo-West Pacific (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia: Muricidae: Rapaninae)''. Archiv für Molluskenkunde 126(1-2):51-63 * Claremont M., Vermeij G.J., Williams S.T. & Reid D.G. (2013) Global phylogeny and new classification of the Rapaninae (Gastropoda: Muricidae), dominant molluscan predators on tropical rocky seashores. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 66: 91–102.

External links

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. Trapp, Hamburg. viii, 199 pp

Adams, H. & Adams, A. (1853-1858). The genera of Recent Mollusca; arranged according to their organization. London, van Voorst.
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