†''Spironema'' 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 extinct (

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

)

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

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 ...

Naticidae Naticidae, common name moon snails or necklace shells, is a family (biology), family of medium to large-sized predatory sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha. The shells of the species in this family a ...

, the moon snails.Siemers C. T. & King N. R. (1974). "Macroinvertebrate paleoecology of a transgressive marine sandstone, Cliff House Sandstone (Upper Cretaceous), Chaco Canyon, northwestern New Mexico". ''New Mexico Geol. Soc. Guidebook'', 25th Field Conf., Ghost Ranch (Central-Northern N.M.): 267-277
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Description

The American paleontologist

Fielding Bradford Meek Fielding Bradford Meek (December 10, 1817 – December 22, 1876) was an American geologist and a paleontologist who specialized in the invertebrates. Biography The son of a lawyer, he was born in Madison, Indiana. In early life he was in bu ...

firstly defined this genus in 1864. He classified the genus in the family

Littorinidae The Littorinidae are a taxonomic family of over 200 species of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha, commonly known as periwinkles and found worldwide. Names In English-speaking countries, gastropod molluscs from o ...

. He recognized two species '' Spironema bella'' and '' Spironema tenuilineata'' in 1864. These species were previously classified within the family

Trochidae The Trochidae, common name top-snails or top-shells, are a family of various sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the subclass Vetigastropoda. This family is commonly known as the top-snails because in many species the shell resembles ...

. Meek's diagnosis reads as follows:

Species

Species within the genus ''Spironema'' include: * '' Spironema bella'' (Conrad) - synonym: ''Tuba'' (?) ''bella'' Conrad, from Cretaceous of Alabama * '' Spironema tenuilineata'' (Meek & Hayden, 1856) - from Cretaceous of

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

, type species: ''Turbo tenuilineatus'' Meek & Hayden, 1856 - synonym: ''Turbo tenuilineata'' * ''

Spironema perryi ''Spironema'' may refer to: Animals: * ''Spironema'' (gastropod), ''Spironema'' Meek, 1864 – a genus of Cretaceous sea snails Plants: *''Spironema'' Raf. 838– sometimes considered a synonym of ''Cassytha'' L. (Lauraceae) *''Spironema'' Lindl. ...

'' Stephenson - from

Maastrichtian The Maastrichtian () is, in the ICS geologic timescale, the latest age (uppermost stage) of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series, the Cretaceous Period or System, and of the Mesozoic Era or Erathem. It spanned the interval from ...

, Texas."USGS 07545: Maastrichtian, Texas"

The Paleobiology Database The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals, plants, and microorganisms. History The Paleobiology Database (PBDB) originated in the NCEAS-funded Phanerozoic Marine Pale ...

, accessed 11 August 2011. ''Spironema''

cf. The abbreviation ''cf.'' (short for the la, confer/conferatur, both meaning "compare") is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. Style guides recommend that ''cf.'' be used onl ...

''perryi'' is also known from the Upper Cretaceous,

Cliff House Sandstone The Cliff House Sandstone is a late Campanian stratigraphic unit comprising sandstones in the western United States. Description The Cliff House Sandstone consists of fine grained white to orange calcareous sandstone. It intertongues with the ...

Chaco Canyon Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in the American Southwest hosting a concentration of pueblos. The park is located in northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington, in a remote ca ...

, northwestern New Mexico.

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference

Description

Species

References

Further reading