''Cochlespira'' 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 sea snails, marine 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 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 ...

Cochlespiridae Cochlespiridae is a taxonomic family of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea. This family is not well differentiated morphologically, and there is poor congruence between the molecular and shell characters. ...

Description

The species in this genus are characterized by their elongated fusiform spire and a long siphonal canal. The whorls show on their edge spinose projections. The shell is moderate in size, with a subacute, few whorled, glassy protoconch. It has an elongated slender, straight

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 ...

. The

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 tabulated by a sharp recurved spinose or beaded keel, between which and the suture the surface is concave, nearly smooth. The

anal sulcus The anal sulcus, also called the anal sinus or anal canal, in Gastropods is a notch, a shelly tube at the top of the aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and fo ...

is deep, narrow, the fasciole separated from the suture by a beaded ridge, the outer margin of the fasciole not elevated. Type † ''Pleurotoma cristata'' Conrad, 1848.

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but ...

fossil. This group is extremely close to ''

Ancistrosyrinx ''Ancistrosyrinx'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cochlespiridae. Species Species within the genus ''Ancistrosyrinx'' include: * '' Ancistrosyrinx clytotropis'' (Sykes, 1906) * † '' Ancistrosyrinx perspira ...

'' Dall, 1881, the latter differing only by having the anal sulcus at the suture, with no intervening ridge, while the outer margin of the fasciole has an elevated lamella between which and the reflected keel at the shoulder there is an excavated channel. These differences hold good between the Oligocene and the recent forms, so far known, without exception. The recent forms have an operculum like that of ''

Leucosyrinx ''Leucosyrinx'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Pseudomelatomidae.WoRMS (2011). Leucosyrinx Dall, 1889. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails ...

''.

Distribution

Species from this genus occur in very deep water in the Indo-West Pacific and off Australia (Queensland).

Species

Species within the genus ''Cochlespira'' include: * '' Cochlespira beuteli'' Powell, 1969 * ''

Cochlespira bevdeynzerae ''Cochlespira bevdeynzerae'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cochlespiridae.Bouchet, P. (2015). Cochlespira bevdeynzerae. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http: ...

'' Garcia, 2010 * ''

Cochlespira cavalier ''Cochlespira cavalier'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cochlespiridae Cochlespiridae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in th ...

'' Garcia, 2010 * ''

Cochlespira cedonulli ''Cochlespira cedonulli'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cochlespiridae,. Description The size of an adult shell varies between 20 mm and 35 mm. In view of the ambiguity of Reeve's figure it might ...

'' (Reeve, 1843) * '' Cochlespira crispulata'' (Martens, 1901) * ''

Cochlespira elegans ''Cochlespira elegans'', common name the elegant star turrid, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cochlespiridae. Description The size of an adult shell varies between 35 mm and 60 mm. The white shel ...

'' (Dall, 1881) * ''

Cochlespira elongata ''Cochlespira elongata'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cochlespiridae Cochlespiridae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in th ...

'' Simone, 1999 * † ''

Cochlespira engonata ''Cochlespira'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cochlespiridae. Description The species in this genus are characterized by their elongated fusiform spire and a long siphonal canal. The whorls show on their edge ...

'' Conrad, 1865 (extinct species from the Claibornean, Texas, USA) * ''

Cochlespira kuroharai ''Cochlespira kuroharai'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cochlespiridae, the turrids. Description The length of the shell attains 31 mm, its width 11.2 mm and contains 10 whorls. The elongate fusif ...

'' (Kuroda, 1959) * ''

Cochlespira laurettamarrae ''Cochlespira laurettamarrae'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cochlespiridae Cochlespiridae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in ...

'' Garcia, 2010 * ''

Cochlespira leeana ''Cochlespira leeana'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cochlespiridae.Bouchet, P. (2015). Cochlespira leeana. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespe ...

'' Garcia, 2010 * † ''

Cochlespira maorum ''Cochlespira'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Cochlespiridae. Description The species in this genus are characterized by their elongated fusiform spire and a long siphonal canal. The whorls s ...

'' (P. Marshall & R. Murdoch, 1923) * ''

Cochlespira pulchella ''Cochlespira pulchella'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cochlespiridae. ;Subspecies: * ''Cochlespira pulchella fossata'' Powell, 1969 * ''Cochlespira pulchella pulchella'' (Schepman, 1913) * ''Cochlespira pu ...

'' (Schepman, 1913) * ''

Cochlespira pulcherrissima ''Cochlespira pulcherrissima'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cochlespiridae . Description The size of an adult shell varies between 27 mm and 36 mm. Distribution This species occurs in the Pacif ...

'' (Kira, 1955) * ''

Cochlespira radiata ''Cochlespira radiata'', common name the common star turret, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cochlespiridae. Description The size of an adult shell varies between 9 mm and 32 mm. (Original descript ...

'' (Dall, 1889) * ''

Cochlespira simillima ''Cochlespira simillima'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cochlespiridae. Description The length of the shell varies between 20.75 mm and 45 mm. Distribution This marine species occurs off the Phi ...

'' Powell, 1969 * ''

Cochlespira travancorica ''Cochlespira travancorica'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cochlespiridae. Description The size of an adult shell varies between 20 mm and 40 mm. (Original description) The smooth shell is narrow ...

'' (Smith E. A., 1896) * '' Cochlespira zanzibarica'' Sysoev, 1996

References

* Powell A.W.B. (1942). ''The New Zealand Recent and fossil Mollusca of the family Turridae with general notes on turrid nomenclature and systematics''. Bulletin of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 2: 1-188, 14 pls. * Powell, A.W.B. 1966. ''The molluscan families Speightiidae and Turridae, an evaluation of the valid taxa, both Recent and fossil, with list of characteristic species.'' Bulletin of the Auckland Institute and Museum. Auckland, New Zealand 5: 1-184, pls 1-23 * Powell, A.W.B. 1969. ''The family Turridae in the Indo-Pacific. Part. 2. The subfamily Turriculinae.'' Indo-Pacific Mollusca 2(10): 207-415, pls 188-324 * Long, D.C. 1981. ''Late Eocene and early Oligocene Turridae (Gastropoda: Prosobranchiata) of the Brown's Creek and Glen Aire Clays, Victoria, Australia.'' Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria 42: 15-55 * Wilson, B. 1994. ''Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods''. Kallaroo, WA : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 2 370 pp. {{Taxonbar, from=Q3141318