''Nepotilla'' 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
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 ...
Raphitomidae
Raphitomidae is a Family (biology), family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.) (2005). "Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families" ...
.
Description
This genus is allied to ''
Eucyclotoma'' by its spirally grooved
protoconch
A protoconch (meaning first or earliest or original shell) is an embryonic or larval shell which occurs in some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod. In older texts it is also called " ...
, but distinguished there from by its minute size, turreted
spire
A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...
, and few
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).
In nature
File:Photograph and axial plane floral diagra ...
s.
Distribution
Species of this genus occur off
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
(New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria).
Species
Species within the genus ''Nepotilla'' include:
* ''
Nepotilla aculeata''
(May, 1916)
* ''
Nepotilla amoena''
(Sars G.O., 1878)
* † ''
Nepotilla bartrumi''
Laws, 1939
* ''
Nepotilla bathentoma''
(Verco, 1909)
* ''
Nepotilla carinata''
Laseron, 1954
* ''
Nepotilla diaphana''
May, 1920
* ''
Nepotilla excavata''
(Gatliff, 1906)
* ''
Nepotilla fenestrata''
(Verco, 1909)
* ''
Nepotilla finlayi
''Nepotilla finlayi'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.
Description
The length of the shell attains 2.2 mm, its diameter 1.4 mm.
Distribution
This marine species is endemic to New Zealand, Exclu ...
''
Powell, 1937
* ''
Nepotilla lamellosa''
(Sowerby III, 1896)
* ''
Nepotilla marmorata''
(Verco, 1909)
* ''
Nepotilla microscopica''
(May, 1916)
* ''
Nepotilla mimica''
(Sowerby III, 1896)
* ''
Nepotilla minuta''
(Tenison-Woods, 1877)
* ''
Nepotilla nezi''
(Okutani, 1964)
* ''
Nepotilla nitidula''
Powell, 1940
* ''
Nepotilla powelli''
Dell, 1956
* ''
Nepotilla serrata''
Laseron, 1954
* ''
Nepotilla triseriata''
(Verco, 1909)
* ''
Nepotilla tropicalis''
Hedley, 1922
* ''
Nepotilla vera''
Powell, 1940
References
* 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
* Wilson, B. 1994. ''Australian marine shells. Prosobranch gastropods.'' Kallaroo, WA : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 2 370 pp.
External links
*
Worldwide Mollusc Species Data Base: RaphitomidaeMollucs of Tasmania
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3714720
Raphitomidae
Gastropod genera