''Rubyspira'' 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 deep water
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 unclassified in 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 ...
within the superfamily
Abyssochrysoidea
''Abyssochrysoidea'' is a superfamily of deep-water sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks unassigned in the orderCaenogastropoda. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Abyssochrysoidea Tomlin, 1927. Accessed through: World Register of Marine S ...
.
Distribution
They are known from
Monterey Bay, California.
Species
Species within the genus ''Rubyspira'' include:
* ''
Rubyspira goffrediae'' Johnson, Warén, Lee, Kano, Kaim, Davis, Strong & Vrijenhoek, 2010
* ''
Rubyspira osteovora'' Johnson, Warén, Lee, Kano, Kaim, Davis, Strong & Vrijenhoek, 2010 - type species of the genus ''Rubyspira''
*
''Rubyspira'' from São Paulo Ridge (undescribed species)
[Sumida P. Y. G., Alfaro-Lucas J. M., Shimabukuro M., Kitazato H., Perez J. A. A., Soares-Gomes A., Toyofuku T., Lima A. O. S., Ara K. & Fujiwara Y. (2016). "Deep-sea whale fall fauna from the Atlantic resembles that of the Pacific Ocean". ''Scientific Reports'' 6: Article number: 22139. .]
Ecology
They are specialized bone-eating snails on
whale falls.
They were found on carcass of
gray whale
The gray whale (''Eschrichtius robustus''), also known as the grey whale,Britannica Micro.: v. IV, p. 693. gray back whale, Pacific gray whale, Korean gray whale, or California gray whale, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and bree ...
.
Their main food source are bones of whales.
References
External links
Caenogastropoda
{{Caenogastropoda-stub