Argyropeza
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''Argyropeza'' 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 ...
of small deep-sea
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 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 ...
Cerithiidae Cerithiidae, common name the cerithiids or ceriths, is a large taxonomic family, family of medium-sized marine (ocean), marine gastropods in the clade Sorbeoconcha. Distribution Ceriths are found worldwide on sandy bottoms, reef flats or co ...
. The name of this genus is derived from the Greek word ''arguropeza'' ("silver foot"), the
epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...
given by
Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...
to the sea
nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...
Thetis Thetis ( , or ; ) is a figure from Greek mythology with varying mythological roles. She mainly appears as a sea nymph, a goddess of water, and one of the 50 Nereids, daughters of the ancient sea god Nereus. When described as a Nereid in Cl ...
.


Taxonomy

The genus ''Argyropeza'' is closely related to the genus''
Bittium ''Bittium'' is a genus of very small sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Cerithiidae, the horn snails.Gofas, S. (2011). Bittium Leach in Gray, 1847. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies ...
'', but the shells of species in this genus are thinner and more vitreous, and the suture is more deeply impressed. ''Argyropeza'' is currently placed in the subfamily Bittiinae with the family Cerithiidae, but various other arrangements have been proposed in the past. It was sometimes assigned to the
Litiopidae Litiopidae, common name litiopids, is a family of small sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Sorbeoconcha. According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) the family Litiopidae has no subfamilies. Genera ...
Gray, 1847 or to the Cerithiinae within
Cerithiidae Cerithiidae, common name the cerithiids or ceriths, is a large taxonomic family, family of medium-sized marine (ocean), marine gastropods in the clade Sorbeoconcha. Distribution Ceriths are found worldwide on sandy bottoms, reef flats or co ...
, both belonging to the same superfamily
Cerithioidea The Cerithioidea is a Taxonomic rank, superfamily of marine, brackish water and freshwater Gastropoda, gastropod containing more than 200 genera. The Cerithioidea are included unassigned in the subclass Caenogastropoda. The original name of this ...
. The genus has also been placed in
Procerithiidae Procerithiidae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of sea snails in the Class_(biology)#Subdivisions, subclass Caenogastropoda. As currently defined, it is extinct, although it has been suggested to include the extant taxo ...
because of its similarity to the fossil genus '' Crypaulax'' from the
Triassic The Triassic ( ; sometimes symbolized 🝈) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.5 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.4 Mya. The Triassic is t ...
; this arrangement would let the ''Argyropeza'' species considered to be
living fossil A living fossil is a Deprecation, deprecated term for an extant taxon that phenotypically resembles related species known only from the fossil record. To be considered a living fossil, the fossil species must be old relative to the time of or ...
s. According to the ''Taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi'' (2005) ''Argyropeza'' is in the subfamily Cryptaulacinae, within the Procerithiidae. According to Bandel (2006) ''Argyropeza'' would be in the then newly described subfamily Argyropezinae Bandel, 2006, within the Procerithiidae.


Distribution

The snails of this deep-sea genus can be found on the continental slopes and island groups in the
Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
region (Arabian Sea, Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Papua, New Guinea, Vanuatu and South Africa). They are
detritivore Detritivores (also known as detrivores, detritophages, detritus feeders or detritus eaters) are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). There are many kinds of invertebrates, ...
s, obtaining their
nutrient A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...
s from
detritus In biology, detritus ( or ) is organic matter made up of the decomposition, decomposing remains of organisms and plants, and also of feces. Detritus usually hosts communities of microorganisms that colonize and decomposition, decompose (Reminera ...
and soft
sediment Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently sediment transport, transported by the action of ...
.


Description

They are small snails (6 to 8 mm in length) with a thin, vitreous shell that is elongated and has a pointed spire with a smooth tip. The number of the
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). In nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral diagram ...
varies between 9 and 12. The shell is
sculptured Sculptured is an American experimental and progressive heavy metal music, metal band, mixing melodic and atonal segments. History Following the dissolution of his previous band, guitarist Don Anderson began Sculptured as mostly a one-man proje ...
with low axial ribs. Each whorl is marked by two spiral ribs with sharp nodules. The ovate
aperture In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...
has a marked
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 i ...
and a weak anal canal. The aperture is closed off by a thin, corneous, cerithioid operculum that is multispiral and almost circular. The outer lip is thin. The
columella Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (, Arabic: ) was a prominent Roman writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. His in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture and ancient Roman cuisin ...
is concave. Their
protoconch A protoconch (meaning first or earliest or original shell) is an embryonic or larval shell which occurs in some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod. In older texts it is also called " ...
has 3½ whorls and are sculptured with two spiral lirae. Until the study of Richard S. Houbrick (1980) almost nothing had been written about the soft parts of these snails. The animal has a long
siphon A siphon (; also spelled syphon) is any of a wide variety of devices that involve the flow of liquids through tubes. In a narrower sense, the word refers particularly to a tube in an inverted "U" shape, which causes a liquid to flow upward, abo ...
. The cephalic
tentacle In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...
s have the eyes at their base. The taenioglossate
radula The radula (; : radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by mollusks for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters ...
has a quadrate rachdian tooth, flanked on each side a trapezoidal lateral tooth and two long marginal teeth. Their
larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...
e are
pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean and can be further divided into regions by depth. The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or water column between the sur ...
.


Species

Species within the genus ''Aryropeza'' are: *''
Argyropeza divina ''Argyropeza divina'' is a species of sea snail 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 form ...
'' Melvill & Standen, 1901 *'' Argyropeza izekiana'' Kuroda, 1949 *'' Argyropeza leucocephala'' (Watson, 1886) *'' Argyropeza schepmaniana'' Melvill, 1912 *'' Argyropeza verecunda'' Melvill & Standen, 1903


References


External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4789990 Cerithiidae Extant Miocene first appearances Gastropod genera