''Bullata'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of small to large sea snails,

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

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 es ...

s in the family

Marginellidae Marginellidae, or the margin shells, are a taxonomic family of small, often colorful, sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Neogastropoda. Taxonomy The higher classification of the family Marginellidae has long been in a state ...

, the margin snails.

Distribution

This is a

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

western

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

genus.

Habitat

Representatives from this genus have been recorded at depths from one to 60 metres.

Shell description

The shells of species in this genus are moderately large to very large, range size from 14 mm (''Bullata largillieri'', smallest species of ''Bullata'') to 97.9 mm (largest specimen known of ''Bullata bullata''). (pl I) The shell color is a yellowish-orange to orange- or pinkish-brown, spirally banded (pl II) or with white spots (pl III). The lip is pink, yellow, or orange, darker than shell color (pl IV). The shell surface is smooth and glossy. The shape is elliptical to oblong or

obovate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular ...

, moderately to strongly shouldered (pl V bottom). The

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 ...

is immersed or near so (pl V top). The

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 ...

is narrow to moderately broad, wider anteriorly. The lip is moderately strongly thickened, weakly to strongly denticulate in adults, with a distinct external varix. A siphonal notch is present but a posterior notch is absent. The

parietal callus A parietal callus is a feature of the shell anatomy of some groups of snails, i.e. gastropods. It is a thickened calcareous deposit which may be present on the parietal wall of the aperture of the adult shell. The parietal wall is the margin o ...

ing is weakly to strongly developed, especially posteriorly, and is absent in type species. The columella has four continuous plications occupying less than half the aperture length. The internal

whorl 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 flo ...

s are unmodified. (pl VI/VII)

Remarks

The large, patterned shells with an immersed

and 4 moderately heavy columellar plications which are not crowded anteriorly, serve to distinguish this group of species. This genus is restricted to the Caribbean province, where it evolved in the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first 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 means "less recent" ...

as a direct offshoot of ''Prunum''. Coan (1965:189) placed ''Cryptospyra'' as a subgenus of ''Bullata''. Coovert & Coovert (1995:93) consider as distinct genus, as they have separate origins: ''Bullata'' is a direct descendant of Caribbean ''Prunum'', whereas ''Cryptospira'' is restricted to the western

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 ...

where it evolved. Image:Prunum.jpg, ''

Prunum ''Prunum'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Pruninae of the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. The separation between the genera ''Prunum'' and ''Volvarina'' is not very precise. They form together a ...

'' Image:BullataBullata.jpg, ''Bullata'' Image:Cryptospira.jpg, '' Cryptospira''

Species

Species within the genus ''Bullata'' include: * '' Bullata analuciae'' de Souza & Coovert, 2001 * '' Bullata bullata'' (Born, 1778) - type species * ''

Bullata guerrinii ''Bullata guerrinii'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Description The size of the shell varies between 20 mm and 37 mm. The shell shows distinct cream spots again ...

'' de Souza & Coovert, 2001 * ''

Bullata largillieri ''Bullata'' is a genus of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Distribution This is a tropical western Atlantic genus. Habitat Representatives from this genus have been recorded ...

'' (Kiener, 1834) * ''

Bullata lilacina ''Bullata'' is a genus of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Distribution This is a tropical western Atlantic genus. Habitat Representatives from this genus have been recorded ...

'' (Sowerby II, 1846) * ''

Bullata mathewsi ''Bullata'' is a genus of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Distribution This is a tropical western Atlantic genus. Habitat Representatives from this genus have been recorded ...

'' (van Mol & Tursch, 1967) ; Species brought into synonymy: * ''Bullata angustata'' (G.B. Sowerby, 1846): synonym of ''

Volvarina angustata ''Volvarina angustata'', common name : the narrow marginella, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Description The shell size varies between 11 mm and 28 mm Distribu ...

'' (G.B. Sowerby II, 1846) * ''Bullata bernardi'' (Largilliert, 1845): synonym of ''

Cryptospira strigata ''Cryptospira'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Pruninae of the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Species According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), the following species with valid n ...

'' (Dillwyn, 1817) * ''Bullata dactylus'' (Lamarck, 1822): synonym of ''

Cryptospira dactylus ''Cryptospira'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Pruninae of the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Species According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), the following species with valid na ...

'' (Lamarck, 1822) * ''Bullata glauca'' (Jousseaume, 1875): synonym of ''

Cryptospira glauca ''Cryptospira'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Pruninae of the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Species According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), the following species with valid na ...

'' Jousseaume, 1875 * ''Bullata hindsiana'' (Petit de la Saussaye, 1851): synonym of ''

Prunum olivaeforme ''Prunum olivaeforme'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Description The length of the shell attains 12 mm. Distribution This marine species occurs off Senegal Senega ...

'' (Kiener, 1834) * ''Bullata lipei'' Clover, 1990: synonym of '' Prunum lipei'' (Clover, 1990) * ''Bullata mabellae'' Melvill & Standen, 1901: synonym of ''

Prunum mabellae ''Prunum'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Pruninae of the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. The separation between the genera ''Prunum'' and ''Volvarina'' is not very precise. They form together ...

'' (Melvill & Standen, 1901) * ''Bullata princeps'' G. B. Sowerby III, 1901: synonym of ''

Closia princeps ''Closia'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Pruninae of the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Species Species within the genus ''Closia'' include: * † '' Closia cenchridium'' Le Renard & van Nieulan ...

'' (G.B. Sowerby III, 1901) * ''Bullata quadrilineata'' (Gaskoin, 1849): synonym of ''

Cryptospira quadrilineata ''Cryptospira'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Pruninae of the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Species According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), the following species with valid n ...

'' (Gaskoin, 1849) * ''Bullata sarda'' (Kiener, 1834): synonym of ''

Closia sarda ''Closia sarda'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Description Distribution This marine species occurs in the Mascarene The Mascarene Islands (, ) or Mascarenes or Mas ...

'' (Kiener, 1834) * ''Bullata scripta'' (Hinds, 1844): synonym of ''

Cryptospira scripta ''Cryptospira'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Pruninae of the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Species According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), the following species with valid n ...

'' (Hinds, 1844) * ''Bullata strigata'' (Dillwyn, 1817): synonym of ''

'' (Dillwyn, 1817) * ''Bullata tricincta'' (Hinds, 1844): synonym of ''

Cryptospira tricincta ''Cryptospira'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Pruninae of the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Species According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), the following species with valid n ...

'' (Hinds, 1844) * ''Bullata ventricosa'' (Fischer von Waldheim, 1807): synonym of ''

Cryptospira ventricosa ''Cryptospira'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Pruninae of the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Species According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), the following species with valid n ...

'' (Fischer von Waldheim, 1807) Image:BullataBullata.jpg, '' Bullata bullata'' Image:Bullatasizes.jpg, ''

'' and '' Bullata bullata'' Image:Bullatabanded.jpg, ''Bullata bullata'', ''

Bullata matthewsi ''Bullata matthewsi'', common name : Matthew's marginella, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Description The shell size varies between 40 mm and 53 mm Distributio ...

'' and ''

'' Image:Bullataspotted.jpg,
''

Bullata analucia ''Bullata'' is a genus of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Distribution This is a tropical western Atlantic genus. Habitat Representatives from this genus have been recorded ...

'', ''

Bullata guerrini ''Bullata'' is a genus of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Distribution This is a tropical western Atlantic genus. Habitat Representatives from this genus have been recorded ...

'', ''

Bullata largilleri ''Bullata'' is a genus of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. Distribution This is a tropical western Atlantic genus. Habitat Representatives from this genus have been recor ...

'' Image:Bullatalips.jpg, Image:Bullatashape.jpg, Spire and shape comparison Image:Bullataventral.jpg, Image:Bullatanotch.jpg,

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4996692 Marginellidae Gastropod genera