''Finella'' 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 ...

Scaliolidae Scaliolidae, common name scaliolids,Strong E. E., Colgan D. J., Healy J. M., Lydeard C., Ponder W. F. & Glaubrecht M. (2011). "Phylogeny of the gastropod superfamily Cerithioidea using morphology and molecules". ''Zoological Journal of the Linnea ...

. This genus has been assigned in the course of time to different families by different authors:

Rissoidae Rissoidae is a large family of sea snails. Members of the Rissoidae are very small in size and possess an operculum. Distribution and habitat Rissoidae are found worldwide. They live on sandy or gravel bottoms among algae or marine plants. Th ...

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 ...

Dialidae Dialidae, common name dialids, is a family of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cerithioidea . According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005), the family Dialidae has no subfamilies. Genera Gen ...

Obtortionidae Obtortionidae is a family of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cerithioidea, that is within the clade Cerithimorpha or in clade Sorbeoconcha. The shell of the larva is ornamental. 2005 taxonomy According to the tax ...

, Finellidae and

Diastomatidae Diastomatidae is a family (biology), family of sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cerithioidea. According to the Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005), taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & R ...

Morphological and anatomical studies by

Winston Ponder Winston Frank Ponder (born 1941) is a malacologist born and educated in New Zealand who has named and described many marine and freshwater animals, especially micromolluscs. Education and career Ponder graduated with an MSc, PhD (1968) and ...

in 1994 established that the genera ''Finella'' and ''

Scaliola ''Scaliola'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Scaliolidae Scaliolidae, common name scaliolids,Strong E. E., Colgan D. J., Healy J. M., Lydeard C., Ponder W. F. & Glaubrecht M. (2011). "Phylogeny of the gastrop ...

'' didn't belong in the above-mentioned families and he brought them in a new family Scaliolidae. This was supported in 1982 by Healy through the study of the ultrastructure on the

spermatozoa A spermatozoon (; also spelled spermatozoön; : spermatozoa; ) is a motile sperm cell (biology), cell produced by male animals relying on internal fertilization. A spermatozoon is a moving form of the ploidy, haploid cell (biology), cell that is ...

Description

The species in this genus contain a small, elongated, conical shell without

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 ...

. The axial to spiral

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

varies between weak and strong.

Distribution

The snails of this species are common to even abundant in shallow waters of the tropical Indo-West Pacific Ocean.

Species

Species within the genus ''Finella'' include: * '' Finella adamsi'' (Dall, 1889) * ''

Finella barbarensis ''Finella'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Scaliolidae. This genus has been assigned in the course of time to different families by different authors: Rissoidae, Cerithiidae, Dialidae, Obtortionidae, Finel ...

'' (Bartsch, 1911) * ''

Finella californica ''Finella'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Scaliolidae. This genus has been assigned in the course of time to different families by different authors: Rissoidae, Cerithiidae, Dialidae, Obtortionidae, Finel ...

'' (Dall & Bartsch, 1901) * ''

Finella dubia ''Finella'' is a genus of sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Scaliolidae. This genus has been assigned in the course of time to different families by different authors: Rissoidae, Cerithiidae, D ...

'' (d'Orbigny, 1840) * ''

Finella geayi ''Finella geayi'' is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinit ...

'' Lamy, 1910 * ''

Finella hamlini ''Finella'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Scaliolidae. This genus has been assigned in the course of time to different families by different authors: Rissoidae, Cerithiidae, Dialidae, Obtortionidae, Finel ...

'' (Bartsch, 1911) * ''

Finella io ''Finella'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Scaliolidae. This genus has been assigned in the course of time to different families by different authors: Rissoidae, Cerithiidae, Dialidae, Obtortionidae, Finel ...

'' (Bartsch, 1911) * ''

Finella longinqua ''Finella'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Scaliolidae. This genus has been assigned in the course of time to different families by different authors: Rissoidae, Cerithiidae, Dialidae, Obtortionidae, Finel ...

'' (Haas, 1949) * ''

Finella phanea ''Finella'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Scaliolidae. This genus has been assigned in the course of time to different families by different authors: Rissoidae, Cerithiidae, Dialidae, Obtortionidae, Finel ...

'' (Bartsch, 1911) * ''

Finella portoricana ''Finella'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Scaliolidae. This genus has been assigned in the course of time to different families by different authors: Rissoidae, Cerithiidae, Dialidae, Obtortionidae, Finel ...

'' (Dall & Simpson, 1901) * ''

Finella pupoides ''Finella pupoides'' is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Scaliolidae. Description The shell size varies between 2 mm and 4 mm. Its color varies from white to pale yellow, a few times even dark br ...

'' Adams A., 1860 * '' Finella tenuisculpta'' (Carpenter, 1864)

References

* Ponder W.F. 1994. ''The anatomy and relationships of Finella and Scaliola (Caenogastropoda: Cerithioidea: Scaliolidae)''. In: Morton B. (ed.) The malacofauna of Hong Kong and Southern China III, pp. 215–241, Hong Kong University Press * Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). ''European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification''. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 180–213 * Spencer, H.; Marshall. B. (2009). ''All Mollusca except Opisthobranchia''. In: Gordon, D. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity. Volume One: Kingdom Animalia. 584 pp

External links

* Hasegawa K. (1998). "A review of recent Japanese species previously assigned to ''Eufenella'' and ''Clathrofenella'' (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Cerithioidea)". ''Memoirs of the National Science Museum'' (Tokyo) 31: 165-186
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q3140706 Scaliolidae