Turritellidae, common name the "tower shells" or "tower snails", is a taxonomic

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 ...

of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade

Sorbeoconcha Sorbeoconcha is a taxonomic clade of snails, i.e. gastropods, mainly marine species with gills and opercula, within the clade Caenogastropoda. The taxon Sorbeoconcha was named by Winston Ponder and David R. Lindberg in 1997. Taxonomy 1 ...

. These snails are filter feeders. This method of feeding is somewhat unusual among gastropod mollusks, but is very common in bivalves.

Shell description

The shells of turritellid species have

whorls A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...

that are more convex and an

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 ...

which is more circular than it is in the auger shells which are similarly high-spired. The

columella Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (; Arabic: , 4 – ) was a prominent writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. His ' in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture, together with the wo ...

is curved and the thin operculum is horny.

Anatomy of the soft parts

These snails burrow into mud or sand. The foot is relatively small. Seashell1

Turritella shells in Vienna Natural History Museum - IZE-2290b

Taxonomy

The following five subfamilies were recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005): * Turritellinae Lovén, 1847 - synonyms: Zariinae Gray, 1850; Zeacolpini Marwick, 1971; Archimediellidae Starobogatov, 1982; Tachyrhynchinae Golikov, 1986 *Orectospirinae Habe, 1955 *Pareorinae

Finlay Finlay is a masculine given name, and also a surname. The given name is represented in Scottish Gaelic as Fionnlagh. Given name Finlay * Finlay Mickel, Scottish skier *Finlay Currie (1878–1968), Scottish actor * Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby pl ...

& Marwick, 1937 *Protominae Marwick, 1957 *Vermiculariinae Dall, 1913 - synonym: Pseudomesaliidae mahmoud, 1955 (inv.)

Genera

Genera within the family Turritellidae include: ;Turritellinae * ''

Archimediella ''Archimediella'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae.MolluscaBase (2019). MolluscaBase. Archimediella Sacco, 1895. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/ap ...

'' Sacco, 1895 * '' Banzarecolpus'' Powell, 1957 * ''

Colpospira ''Colpospira'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae Turritellidae, common name the "tower shells" or "tower snails", is a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollu ...

'' Donald, 1900 * ''

Gazameda ''Gazameda'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae Turritellidae, common name the "tower shells" or "tower snails", is a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusc ...

'' Iredale, 1924 * ''

Glyptozaria ''Glyptozaria'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae Turritellidae, common name the "tower shells" or "tower snails", is a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod moll ...

'' Iredale, 1924 * '' Incatella'' DeVries, 2007 * '' Maoricolpus'' Finlay, 1927 * '' Spirocolpus'' Finlay, 1927 * '' Stiracolpus'' Finlay, 1926 * '' Tachyrhynchus'' Mörch, 1868 * ''

Turritella ''Turritella'' is a genus of medium-sized sea snails with an operculum, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae.Vos, C.; Gofas, S. (2013). Turritella Lamarck, 1799. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.m ...

Lamarck Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, chevalier de Lamarck (1 August 1744 – 18 December 1829), often known simply as Lamarck (; ), was a French naturalist, biologist, academic, and soldier. He was an early proponent of the idea that biolo ...

, 1799 - the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal ...

of the family, synonyms: ''Torcula'' Gray, 1847; ''Proto'' Blainville, 1824 ** subgenus '' Haustator'' Montfort, 1810Harzhauser M. (2007). "Oligocene and Aquitanian gastropod faunas from the Sultanate of Oman and their biogeographic implications for the western Indo-Pacific". '' Palaeontographica Abteilung'' A 280: 75-121
PDF
* '' Zeacolpus''

, 1927 * ''

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'' Gray, 1842: synonym of ''Turritella'' Lamarck, 1799 ;Orectospirinae * '' Orectospira'' Dall, 1925 ;Pareorinae * † '' Batillona'' Finlay, 1927 * ''

Pareora Pareora is a small town in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located close to State Highway 1, which bypasses the western edge of the town, and close to the Pacific Ocean coast, five kilometres north of Saint Andrews and 10 kilometres sou ...

'' Marwick, 1931 ;Protominae * '' Protoma'' Baird, 1870 -( synonym: ''Protomella'' Thiele, 1929) ;Vermiculariinae * '' Callostracum'' E. A. Smith, 1909 * '' Vermicularia''

, 1799 family ? * ''

Armatus Flavius Armatus (died 477), also known as Harmatius, was an Eastern Roman military commander, ''magister militum'' under Emperors Leo I, Basiliscus and Zeno, and consul. He was instrumental in the rebellion of Basiliscus against Zeno, and in his s ...

'' Golikov, 1986 * † '' Colposigma'' Finlay & Marwick, 1937 * '' Mesalia'' Gray, 1847 * '' Neohaustator'' Ida, 1952 * † '' Palmerella'' Allmon 1996Halder, K., & Sinha, P. (2014). "Some Eocene Cerithioids (Gastropoda, Mollusca) from Kutch, Western India, and Their Bearing on Palaeobiogeography of the Indian Subcontinent". ''Paleontology Journal'', 2014, Article ID 673469, . * † '' Tropicolpus'' Marwick, 1931

Palaeontological locations

* The

Turritellenplatte The Turritellenplatte of Ermingen ("Erminger Turritellenplatte" near Ulm, Germany) is a type of very rich, fossil-bearing rock which is of particular interest to geologists and paleontologists. It occurs in a very restricted outcrop and is protected ...

of Ermingen ("Erminger Turritellenplatte" near

Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) is situated in the northern part of the North Alpine Foreland Basin (NAFB) and is famous for its abundance of ''

turris'' gastropod shells within sedimentary deposits. The fauna of this gastropod-rich sandstone reflects mainly near-coastal and shallow marine conditions. Petrographical and palaeontological data allow a correlation of ''Turritellenplatte'' of Ermingen with

Burdigalian The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age or stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). Preceded by the Aquitanian, the Burdigalian was the first and longest w ...

(Lower

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

). Sr-isotope composition of

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

teeth suggests an age of about 18,5 Ma for the ''Turritellenplatte'' of Ermingen.Baier J. (2008). "Ein Beitrag zur Erminger Turritellenplatte (Mittlere Schwäbische Alb, SW-Deutschland)". ''Jahresbericht Mitt. oberrhein. geol. Ver.'', N.F. 90: 9-17. Stuttgart, .

References

External links

*
Selachian fauna of Turritellenplatte
Abstract of Baier et al. 2004

Abstract of Baier 2008

Miocene Gastropods and Biostratigraphy of the Kern River Area, California; United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 642
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2461107 Gastropod families