''Spirolaxis'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

sea snail Sea snails are slow-moving marine (ocean), marine gastropod Mollusca, molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the Taxonomic classification, taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguishe ...

s, marine

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

s in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Architectonicidae Architectonicidae, common name the staircase shells or sundials, are a family of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the informal group Lower Heterobranchia (= Allogastropoda) of the clade Heterobranchia. The extinct families † Amphit ...

, the staircase shells or sundials.MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Spirolaxis Monterosato, 1913. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137668 on 2022-06-20

Description

(Original description) The shell is discoidal; its whorls are quadrangular, detached, and solute. Monterosato, T. A. di. (1913). Note on the genus Pseudomalaxis, Fischer, and descriptions of a new species and sub-genus. Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London. 10(6): 362-363

Species

* '' Spirolaxis argonauta'' Bieler, 1993 * '' Spirolaxis centrifuga'' (Monterosato, 1890) * '' Spirolaxis clenchi'' Jaume & Borro, 1946 * † '' Spirolaxis cohaerentia'' Laws, 1944 * '' Spirolaxis cornuammonis'' (Melvill & Standen, 1903) * '' Spirolaxis cornuarietis'' Bieler, 1993 * '' Spirolaxis exornatus'' Bieler, 1993 * '' Spirolaxis lamellifer'' (Rehder, 1935) * '' Spirolaxis rotulacatharinea'' (Melvill & Standen, 1903) ;Synonyms: * ''Spirolaxis macandrewi'' (Iredale, 1911): synonym of ''Spirolaxis centrifuga'' (Monterosato, 1890)

References

* Rolán E., 2005. Malacological Fauna From The Cape Verde Archipelago. Part 1, Polyplacophora and Gastropoda

External links

Rehder H.A. 1935. New Caribbean marine shells. The Nautilus, 48: 127-130

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
Architectonicidae {{Heterobranchia-stub