''Morula'' 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 ...

of small, predatory

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 subfalily

Ergalataxinae Ergalataxinae is a taxonomic subfamily of small to medium-sized predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks within the family Muricidae, the rock snails. In this subfamily, the aragonitic shell has 0–2 varices. Genera The subfamily E ...

of 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 ...

Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly known as murex snails or rock snails. With over 1,700 living species, the Muricidae represent almost 10% of the Neog ...

, the murex snails or rock snails.

Species

Species within the genus ''Morula'' include: * '' Morula aglaos'' (Houart, 1995) * '' Morula albanigra'' (Houart, 2002) * '' Morula ambrosia'' (Houart, 1995) * '' Morula angulata'' (G.B. Sowerby III, 1894) * '' Morula aspera'' (Lamarck, 1816) * '' Morula bicatenata'' (Reeve, 1846) * '' Morula biconica'' (Blainville, 1832) * '' Morula cernohorskyi'' (Houart & Tröndle, 1997) * ''

Morula chrysostoma ''Morula chrysostoma'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. The shell size varies between 15 mm and 20 mm. This species is distributed in the Red Sea, along Ade ...

'' * '' Morula coronata'' (H. Adams, 1869) * '' Morula dichrous'' (Tapparone-Canefri, 1880) * '' Morula echinata'' (Reeve, 1846) * '' Morula euryspira'' * '' Morula fuscoimbricata'' (G.B. Sowerby III, 1915) * '' Morula iostoma'' (Reeve, 1846) * '' Morula japonica'' (G.B. Sowerby III, 1903) * '' Morula lepida'' (Houart, 1995) * '' Morula nodicostata'' (Pease, 1868) * '' Morula oparensis'' (Melvill, 1912) * '' Morula peasei'' * '' Morula porphyrostoma'' (Reeve, 1846) * '' Morula praecipua'' (Rehder, 1980) * '' Morula rodgersi'' (Houart, 2000) * '' Morula spinosa'' (H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853) * '' Morula striata'' (Pease, 1868) * '' Morula uva'' * '' Morula variabilis'' * '' Morula whiteheadae'' (Houart, 2004) * '' Morula zebrina'' ;Species brought into synonymy * ''Morula (Azumamorula) mutica'' (Lamarck, 1816): synonym of '' Azumamorula mutica'' (Lamarck, 1816) * ''Morula anaxares'' (Kiener, 1835): synonym of ''

Muricodrupa anaxares ''Muricodrupa anaxares'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Before 2019, it was classified as ''Morula anaxares''. Description The shell size varies between 13 mm ...

'' (Kiener, 1836) * ''Morula cancellata'' Quoy & Gaimard: synonym of ''

Muricodrupa fenestrata ''Muricodrupa fenestrata'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Description The shell size varies between 17 mm and 45 mm. Distribution This species occurs in ...

'' (Blainville, 1832) * ''Morula concatenata'' (Lamarck, 1822): synonym of '' Drupella rugosa'' (Born, 1778) * ''Morula consanguinea'' (Smith, 1890): synonym of '' Claremontiella consanguinea'' (E. A. Smith, 1890) * ''Morula elata'' Blainville: synonym of '' Drupella cornus'' (Röding, 1798) * ''Morula fenestrata'' Blainville, 1832: synonym of ''

'' (Blainville, 1832) * ''Morula funiculata'' (Reeve, 1846): synonym of ''

Oppomorus funiculatus ''Oppomorus funiculatus'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk, in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.MolluscaBase (2018). ''Oppomorus funiculatus'' (Reeve, 1846). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Sp ...

'' (Reeve, 1846) * ''Morula granulata'' (Duclos, 1832): synonym of '' Tenguella granulata'' (Duclos, 1832) * ''Morula margariticola'' (Broderip): synonym of '' Ergalatax margariticola'' (Broderip, in Broderip & Sowerby, 1833) * ''Morula marginalba'' (Blainville, 1832): synonym of ''

Tenguella marginalba ''Tenguella marginalba'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. It is commonly known as the mulberry whelk and is found in shallow waters in the Indo-Pacific and around the ...

'' (Blainville, 1832) * ''Morula marginatra'' Blainville, 1832: synonym of '' Semiricinula marginatra'' (Blainville, 1832) * ''Morula musiva'' (Kiener, 1835): synonym of '' Tenguella musiva'' (Kiener, 1835) * ''Morula nodulifera'': synonym of ''

Oppomorus noduliferus ''Oppomorus noduliferus'', common name the nodule castror bean, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.Bouchet, P. (2015). Oppomorus noduliferus (Menke, 1829). In: MolluscaB ...

'' (Menke, 1829) * ''Morula nodulosa'' (C.B. Adams, 1845): synonym of ''

Claremontiella nodulosa ''Claremontiella nodulosa'', common name: the blackberry drupe, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Claremontiella nodulosa (C. B. ...

'' (C. B. Adams, 1845) * ''Morula ocellata'': synonym of '' Ergalatax contracta'' (Reeve, 1846) * ''Morula oparense'' (Melvill, 1912): synonym of '' Morula oparensis'' (Melvill, 1912) * ''Morula palmeri'' Powell, 1967: synonym of ''

Pascula palmeri ''Pascula palmeri'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly known as mure ...

'' (Powell, 1967) (original combination) * ''Morula parva'' (Reeve, 1846): synonym of '' Lauta parva'' (Reeve, 1846) * ''Morula purpureocincta'' (Preston, 1909): synonym of ''

Oppomorus purpureocinctus ''Oppomorus purpureocinctus'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk, in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.MolluscaBase (2018). ''Oppomorus purpureocinctus'' (Preston, 1909). Accessed through: World Register of ...

'' (Preston, 1909) * ''Morula rosea'' (Reeve, 1846): synonym of '' Muricopsis (Risomurex) roseus'' (Reeve, 1846) * ''Morula rumphiusi'' Houart, 1996: synonym of ''

Murichorda rumphiusi ''Murichorda rumphiusi'' is a species of sea snail, a 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 () ...

'' (Houart, 1996) * ''Morula squamiliratum'' Smith: synonym of '' Orania serotina'' (A. Adams, 1853) * ''Morula squamosa'' Pease: synonym of ''

Semiricinula squamosa ''Semiricinula squamosa'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Description The solid shell varies in length between 20 mm and 45 mm. Its sculpture shows varices ...

'' (Pease, 1868) * ''Morula tuberculata'' Blainville: synonym of ''Morula (Morula) granulata'' (Duclos, 1832)

Taxonomy

In 2002, Roland Houart described two new species and revised eight others, for a total 23 species of ''Morula'' . He had previously (1994–1995) described ''Habromorula'' as a separate genus, containing 14 species that were earlier classified with ''

Spinidrupa ''Spinidrupa'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Ergalataxinae of the family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), af ...

'' sensu lato. In 2004, he placed '' Azumamorula'', ''

Oppomorus ''Oppomorus'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Species Species within the genus ''Oppomorus'' include: * '' Oppomorus funiculatus'' (Reeve, 1846) * '' Oppomorus noduli ...

'', and ''Habromorula'' into ''Morula'' as subgenera, and moved the whole group from subfamily

Rapaninae Rapaninae is a subfamily (biology), subfamily of predatory sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Muricidae.Houart, R. (2011). Rapaninae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http:// ...

to Ergalataxinae.

Molecular genetics

In 2012–2013, Claremont ''et al''. published a study of sequences for four genes across numerous species of ''Morula'' and related molluscs. They found a

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

of 11 species, and proposed a restricted definition of ''Morula'' to include: ''M. aspera'', ''M. benedicta'', ''M. (Habromorula) biconica'', ''M. chrysostoma'', ''M. (H.) coronata'', ''M. (H.) japonica'', ''M. nodicostata'', ''M. (H.) spinosa'', ''M. (H.) striata,'' ''M. uva'' (type species), and ''M. zebrina.'' ''Habromorula'' did not form a clade in this analysis, however the authors noted that "monophyly of this morphologically distinctive group is not strongly contradicted, so that further sampling and analysis could yet support ''Habromorula'' as a monophyletic subgenus of ''Morula''". Subgenus ''Morula (Oppomorus)'' formed a separate clade; the authors proposed returning ''

'' to genus level, containing ''O. nodulifera'', ''O. funiculata'' and ''O. purpureocincta''. ''M. ceylonica'', ''M. granulata'', ''M. marginalba'', ''M. musiva'', and an undescribed species formed a distinct clade related to ''Muricodrupa''. The authors proposed resurrecting the genus name ''

Tenguella Tenguella (also known as Temelá or Tenguella Ba) was a Fula people, Fula ''silatigi'' or chief who founded a short-lived state called Futa Kingui in the upper Senegal river valley, a precursor of the Empire of Great Fulo. He was referred to as ...

'', for which ''T. granulata'' is the type species. They note that these species "have not previously been recognized as a morphologically distinctive group". ''"Morula" anaxares'' was weakly related to ''Muricodrupa fenestrata'', and ''"Morula" nodulosa'' was sister to the ''Tenguella–

Muricodrupa ''Muricodrupa'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Ergalataxinae of the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Species * '' Muricodrupa anaxares'' (Kiener, 1836) (previously ''Morula anaxares'') * ' ...

'' group. ''"Morula" parva'' and ''"Morula" echinata'' placed in a third major clade, separate from the two that contain ''Tenguella'' and the main ''Morula'' group, respectively. In response to the gene-sequence phylogeny, Houart, Zuccon and Puillandre formally described new genera in 2019: '' Claremontiella'', ''

Murichorda ''Murichorda'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Ergalataxinae of the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, ...

'', and '' Lauta''. ''C. nodulosa'', ''C. consanguinea'', ''Mur. rumphiusi'', and ''L. parva'' were previously in ''Morula''. They also moved ''Morula anaxares'' to ''

'', and reassigned '' M. palmeri'' to ''

Pascula ''Pascula'' is a genus of sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Muricidae, the Murex snail, murex snails or Rock snail, rock snails. Species Species within the genus ''Pascula'' include: * ''Pascu ...

'', the latter on basis of morphology rather than gene sequence.

References

External links

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