''Paracomitas'' 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 ...
Pseudomelatomidae
Pseudomelatomidae is a family (biology), family of predatory sea snails, marine gastropods included in the superfamily Conoidea (previously Conacea) and part of the Neogastropoda (Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005), Bouchet & Ro ...
.
Description
The genus ''Paracomitas'' has a carinate
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 " ...
which lies in the same cone as the
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 ...
, thus differing from typical ''
Comitas
''Comitas'' is a genus of medium-sized sea snails, which are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Pseudomelatomidae.
Species and subspecies
Species and subspecies (indented) in the genus ''Comitas'' include:
* † '' Comitas abnormis'' L. ...
'' in which the protoconch is noncarinate, bulbous and tilted. Although the type of Comitas, ''C. oamarutica'' (Suter), is Drillia-like in the ornamentation of its spire, some species referred to ''Comitas'' by Powell on the basis of the protoconch, such as ''
Comitas allani'' Powell, are similar in adult sculpture to ''Paracomitas''. The protoconch of the species here referred to ''Paracomitas'' is small and appears to be slightly tilted, and the last quarter-turn or less is slightly angulate, but not definitely carinate.
Species
Species within the genus ''Paracomitas'' include:
* ''
Paracomitas augusta''
(Murdock & Suter, 1906)
* † ''
Paracomitas beui''
Maxwell, 1988
* † ''
Paracomitas flemingi''
(Beu, 1970)
* † ''
Paracomitas gemmea''
(R. Murdoch, 1900)
* ''
Paracomitas haumuria''
Beu, 1979
* † ''
Paracomitas protransenna
''Paracomitas protransenna'' is an extinct species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pseudomelatomidae, the turrids and allies.MolluscaBase (2018). Paracomitas protransenna (P. Marshall & R. Murdoch, 1923) †. Accessed thro ...
''
(P. Marshall & R. Murdoch, 1923)
* † ''
Paracomitas rodgersi''
MacNeil, 1960
* ''
Paracomitas undosa''
(Schepman, 1913)
;Alternate representations
* ''Paracomitas (Macrosinus)''
Beu, 1970 represented as ''Paracomitas''
Powell, 1942
* ''Paracomitas (Macrosinus) haumuria''
Beu, 1979 represented as ''Paracomitas haumuria''
Beu, 1979
;Species brought into synonymy:
* ''Paracomitas gypsata''
(Watson, 1881):
synonym of ''
Gymnobela gypsata''
(Watson, 1881)
References
External links
*
Bouchet, P.; Kantor, Y. I.; Sysoev, A.; Puillandre, N. (2011). ''A new operational classification of the Conoidea (Gastropoda).'' Journal of Molluscan Studies. 77(3): 273-308
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3175239
Pseudomelatomidae