Lepetelloidea is a

superfamily SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP superfamilies. Domains are functional, str ...

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, small deepwater

limpet Limpets are a group of aquatic snails with a conical gastropod shell, shell shape (patelliform) and a strong, muscular foot. This general category of conical shell is known as "patelliform" (dish-shaped). Existing within the class Gastropoda, ...

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 clade

Vetigastropoda Vetigastropoda is a major taxonomic group of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks that form a very ancient lineage. Taxonomically the Vetigastropoda are sometimes treated as an order, although they are treated as an unranked clade in Bouch ...

(according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005). (Previously this superfamily was in the order

Cocculiniformia The Cocculinoidea is a superfamily of deepwater limpets (marine gastropods), the only superfamily in the order Cocculinida, one of the main orders of gastropods according to the taxonomy as set up by ( Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005). The clade Cocculini ...

.) WoRMS (2011). Lepetelloidea. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=382160 on 2011-08-13

Description

Species in this superfamily have undivided shell muscles (except Lepetellidae). They possess secondary

gill A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow r ...

leaflets or their gills are reduced. Their

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 ...

contains a well-developed rachidian tooth. The soft body lacks subpallial (i.e. below the mantle) glands. They have paired

kidney In humans, the kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped blood-filtering organ (anatomy), organs that are a multilobar, multipapillary form of mammalian kidneys, usually without signs of external lobulation. They are located on the left and rig ...

s with the right one larger. With the exception of the subfamily Choristellinae, all known lepetelloids are simultaneous hermaphrodites, meaning they possess both male and female reproductive organs at the same time. Species in the subfamily Choristellinae are

gonochoristic In biology, gonochorism is a sexual system where there are two sexes and each individual organism is either male or female. The term gonochorism is usually applied in animal species, the vast majority of which are gonochoric. Gonochorism contras ...

, i.e. with distinct males and females). The ciliated gonoducts (the ducts through which the

gamete A gamete ( ) is a Ploidy#Haploid and monoploid, haploid cell that fuses with another haploid cell during fertilization in organisms that Sexual reproduction, reproduce sexually. Gametes are an organism's reproductive cells, also referred to as s ...

s reach the exterior) contain no glands.José H. Leal and M. G. Harasewych, Deepest Atlantic Molluscs: Hadal Limpets (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Cocculiniformia) from the Northern Boundary of the Caribbean Plate, Invertebrate Biology, Vol. 118, No. 2 p. 127

Families

Families within the superfamily Lepetelloidea include: *

Addisoniidae Addisoniidae is a family (biology), family of sea snails, deepwater true limpets, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Vetigastropoda (according to the Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005), taxonomy of the Gastrop ...

Bathyphytophilidae Bathyphytophilidae is a family of very small deepwater sea snails or false limpets, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Vetigastropoda (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).Bouchet, P. (2012). Bathyphytophil ...

* Caymanabyssiidae *

Cocculinellidae Cocculinellidae is a family of small sea snails, deepwater limpets, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Vetigastropoda Vetigastropoda is a major taxonomic group of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks that form a very ancient lineage. ...

Lepetellidae Lepetellidae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of small deepwater sea snails or limpets, marine (ocean), marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily (taxonomy), superfamily Lepetelloidea in the clade Vetigastropoda (acc ...

Dall, 1881 ** Choristellinae - in the taxonomy of the Gastropoda according to Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005, the group of species previously known as the family Choristellidae was reranked as Choristellinae, a subfamily of Lepetellidae. * Osteopeltidae *

Pseudococculinidae Pseudococculinidae is a family of small sea snails or false limpets, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Lepetelloidea (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).Gofas, S. (2012). Pseudococculinidae. Acces ...

Pyropeltidae Pyropeltidae is a family of gastropods in the clade Vetigastropoda (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005). This family has no subfamilies. Habitat Their habitat includes hydrothermal vents and whale-fall hab ...

References

* Haszprunar G & McLean JH 1996. ''Anatomy and systematics of bathyphytophilid limpets (Mollusca, Archeogastropoda) from the northeastern Pacific''. Zool. Scripta 25: 35–49. {{Taxonbar, from=Q3229847 Vetigastropoda