''Ranella'' 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 large warm-water and tropical

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 ...

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 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 ...

Ranellidae The Ranellidae, common name the triton shells or tritons, are a taxonomic family of small to very large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the order Littorinimorpha. Subfamilies According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by B ...

, the tritons.

Shell description

The shells of species within this genus are very large and solid, with a tall

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 ...

, a rounded

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 ...

, a broadly flanged outer lip, and a moderately long

siphonal canal The siphonal canal is an anatomical feature of the shells of certain groups of sea snails within the clade Neogastropoda. Some sea marine gastropods have a soft tubular anterior extension of the mantle called a siphon through which water is ...

, which is flexed and inclined to the left. The

varices A varix (pl. varices) is an abnormally dilated vessel with a tortuous course. Varices usually occur in the venous system, but may also occur in arterial or lymphatic vessels. Examples of varices include: * Varicose veins, large tortuous veins usua ...

are prominent and rounded, but are hollowed out on the inside.

Species

Species within the genus ''Ranella'' include: * ''

Ranella australasia ''Ranella australasia'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ranellidae, the triton snails, triton shells or tritons. Description Distribution THis species is endemic to Australia and occurs of ...

'' (Perry, 1811) * † '' Ranella bellardii'' (Weinkauff, 1868) * '' Ranella gemmifera'' (Euthyme, 1889) * †'' Ranella kaiparaensis'' (Finlay, 1924) * ''

Ranella olearium ''Ranella olearium'', common name the wandering triton or the little frog triton or olive trumpet, is a species of large sea snail, a Marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusc in the family (biology), family Ranellidae, the tritons.Gofas, S. (201 ...

'' Linnaeus, 1758 ;Synonyms: *''Ranella reticularis'' (Linnaeus, 1758) sensu Deshayes, 1839: synonym of ''Ranella olearium'' (Linnaeus, 1758)

References

* Lamarck J.B. (1816). Liste des objets représentés dans les planches de cette livraison. In: Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique des trois règnes de la Nature. Mollusques et Polypes divers. Agasse, Paris. 16 pp. * Schumacher, C.F. 1817. Essai d'un Nouveau Systéme des Habitations des vers Testacés. Copenhagen : Schultz 287 pp., pls 1-22. * Dall, W.H. 1904. A historical and systematic review of the frog-shells and tritons. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 47: 114-144 * Iredale, T. 1917. More molluscan name-changes, generic and specific. Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London 12(6): 322-330 * Rolán E., 2005. Malacological Fauna From The Cape Verde Archipelago. Part 1, Polyplacophora and Gastropoda. * Vaught, K.C.; Tucker Abbott, R.; Boss, K.J. (1989). A classification of the living Mollusca. American Malacologists: Melbourne. ISBN 0-915826-22-4. XII, 195 pp.

External links

Schumacher, C. F. (1817). Essai d'un nouveau système des habitations des vers testacés. Schultz, Copenghagen. iv + 288 pp., 22 pls.

Iredale, T. (1917). Molluscan name-changes, generic and specific. Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London. 12(6): 322-330

Dall W.H. (1925). Illustrations of unfigured types of shells in the collections of the United States National Museum. Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 66, art. 17, no. 2554: 1-41, pls. 1-36

Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca. in: Costello, M.J. et al. (eds), European Register of Marine Species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Patrimoines Naturels. 50: 180-213

''Ranella'' at Malacolog
Ranellidae Gastropod genera Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Ranellidae-stub

Shell description

Species

References

Further reading

External links