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
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 ...
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 shell resembles '' Irenosyrinx'', but with stronger
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 ...
with narrow, low ribs and with a paucispiral, elongate operculum, bearing such a relation to the normal species of ''
Turris
''Turris'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turridae, the turrids.
Description
The generally large shells are variegated with spots. The fusiform shell is turriculated with a long, sharp spire. The aperture is o ...
'' as ''
Mohnia
''Mohnia'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Siphonaliinae of the family (biology), family Buccinidae, the true whelks.
Species
Species within the genus ''Mohnia'' include:
* ''Mohnia abyssorum'' (Fischer P., ...
'' bears to '' Chrysodomus''. The nucleus is terminal.
Gastropods of this genus are among the largest members of the family
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. ...
in the Pacific Ocean, with adult shell sizes reaching up to 92 mm.
Distribution
Species of this genus inhabit the Pacific Ocean, the southwestern Atlantic Ocean and the southeastern Indian Ocean; also in the cold waters off
Patagonia
Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...
,
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South America, South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan.
The archipelago consists of the main is ...
, the
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Dub ...
and the
South Shetlands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands located in the Drake Passage with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By ...
.
Habitat
These species are predominantly found in sublittoral and relatively deep waters. However, detailed descriptions of the specific composition of ''Aforia'' in bathyal and abyssal environments are sparse. There is limited information on the distribution of these species, and data on their anatomy are almost nonexistent.
Species
Species within the genus ''Aforia'' include:
* '' Aforia abyssalis'' Sysoev & Kantor, 1987
* † ''
Aforia canalomos
''Aforia'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Cochlespiridae.
Description
The shell resembles ''Irenosyrinx'', but with stronger Sculpture (mollusc), sculpture with narrow, low ribs and with a pa ...
Aforia goniodes
''Aforia goniodes'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cochlespiridae.
Description
The shell size varies between 40 mm and 85 mm
(Original description) The high, narrow shell exhibits a biconical shap ...
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...
Aforia dallamensis
''Aforia'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Cochlespiridae.
Description
The shell resembles ''Irenosyrinx'', but with stronger Sculpture (mollusc), sculpture with narrow, low ribs and with a pa ...
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Aforia tricarinata'' Addicott, 1966
* † '' Aforia wardi'' (Tegland, 1933)
;Species brought into synonymy:
* ''Aforia aulaca'' (Dall, 1896): synonym of '' Steiraxis aulaca'' (Dall, 1896)
* ''Aforia chosenensis'' Bartsch, 1945: synonym of ''Aforia circinata'' (Dall, 1873)
* ''Aforia diomedea'' Bartsch, 1945: synonym of ''Aforia circinata'' (Dall, 1873)
* ''Aforia gonoides'' (Watson, 1881 : synonym of ''Aforia goniodes'' (Watson, 1881)
* ''Aforia hondoana'' (Dall, 1925): synonym of ''Aforia circinata'' (Dall, 1873)
* ''Aforia insignis'' (Jeffreys, 1883): synonym of ''Aforia circinata'' (Dall, 1873)
* ''Aforia japonica'' Bartsch, 1945: synonym of ''Aforia circinata'' (Dall, 1873)
* ''Aforia lepta'' (Watson, 1881): synonym of '' Aforia watsoni'' Kantor, Harasewych & Puillandre, 2016
* ''Aforia okhotskensis'' Bartsch, 1945: synonym of '' Aforia circinata'' (Dall, 1873)
* ''Aforia sakhalinensis'' Bartsch, 1945: synonym of ''Aforia circinata'' (Dall, 1873)
References
* Bozzetti L. (1997) Description of a new genus and a new species (Gastropoda: Turridae, Turriculinae) from the Kerguelen Islands, southern Indian Ocean / Descrizione di un nuovo genere ed una nuova specie (Gastropoda: Turridae, Turriculinae) dalle Isole Kerguelen, Oceano Indiano meridionale. World Shells 23: 42–44
* Wiese V. (2001) Comments on a "new" turrid species from Kerguelen. Schriften zur Malakozoologie 18: 33–34