''Persicula'' is a

taxonomic 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme of classes (a taxonomy) and the allocation ...

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 minute to small

predatory Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

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. It includes several species which are

micromollusk A micromollusc is a shelled mollusc which is extremely small, even at full adult size. The word is usually, but not exclusively, applied to marine molluscs, although in addition, numerous species of land snails and freshwater molluscs also ...

s.Persicula Schumacher, 1817. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137882 on 2010-12-05 This genus is placed in the family

Cystiscidae Cystiscidae is a taxonomic family of small sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks or micromollusks. Description The shell is minute to large, either white, uniformly colored, or patterned; the surface is smooth, sculptured, or axially costat ...

. It was previously in the family

Marginellidae Marginellidae, or the margin shells, are a taxonomic family of small, often colorful, sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Neogastropoda. Taxonomy The higher classification of the family Marginellidae has long been in a state o ...

the margin snails. Both families are within the order

Neogastropoda Neogastropoda is an order of aquatic snails, both freshwater and marine gastropod molluscs. Description The available fossil record of Neogastropoda is relatively complete, and supports a widely accepted evolutionary scenario of an Early Cre ...

. (Note: Gastropod

taxonomy image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...

has been in flux for more than half a century, and this is especially true currently, because of new research in

molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, ...

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree or phylogeny is a graphical representation which shows the evolutionary history between a set of species or Taxon, taxa during a specific time.Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, M ...

. Because of all the ongoing changes, different reliable sources can yield very different classifications.)

Habitat

Species in this genus live from the

intertidal zone The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide; in other words, it is the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of habitats with various ...

to 370 meters in depth.

Shell description

In this genus the

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

is minute to small. It can be uniformly colored or white, and the color can be patterned. The shell is moderately thick to thick. 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 ...

is usually immersed. The lip of the

aperture In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...

is thickened, and weakly to strongly lirate. An external

varix A varix (: varices) is an abnormally dilated blood vessel with a tortuous course. Varices usually occur in the venous system, but may also occur in arterial or lymphatic vessels. Examples of varices include: * Varicose veins, large tortuous veins ...

can be present or absent. There is a distinct siphonal notch present and a posterior notch is also present. The columella is multiplicate, with 4 to 13 plications plus parietal lirae.

Description of soft parts

The animal has long

tentacle In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...

s, and the siphon is also usually long. The mantle appears not to extend completely over the external shell surface.

Species

The separation between the genera ''Persicula'' and ''

Gibberula ''Gibberula'' is a genus of minute sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Cystiscidae, previously placed in the family Marginellidae, the margin shells or marginellids. (Note: Gastropod taxonomy has been in flux for ...

'' is not well-defined. It is based on morphological differences with the larger species (showing a complex color pattern) belonging to ''Persicula'', while the smaller species (showing a banded or uniform color pattern) belong to ''Gibberula''. Many species with characteristics that fall between the two extremes, are ambiguous. Up to now (2010) there is no

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

analysis to substantiate this rather arbitrary classification. According to the

World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

(WoRMS), the following species with valid names are included within the genus ''Persicula'' : * '' Persicula accola'' B. Roth & Coan, 1968 * '' Persicula albomaculata'' (May, 1911) * '' Persicula bagne'' Faber, 2006 * '' Persicula bahamasensis'' Petuch, 2002 * '' Persicula bandera'' Coan & Roth, 1965 * '' Persicula blanda''

Hinds Hinds may refer to: Places *Hinds, New Zealand, a small town *Hinds County, Mississippi, a US county *Hinds Lake, a lake in Minnesota *Hinds River, a river that flows through Hinds, New Zealand Other * A plural of deer, especially female deer (do ...

, 1844 * '' Persicula brinkae'' Bozzetti, 1993 * '' Persicula calculus'' (Redfield, 1870) *'' Persicula canaryensis'' (Clover, 1972) * '' Persicula chrysomelina'' (Redfield, 1848) * ''

Persicula cingulata ''Persicula cingulata'' is a species of very small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Cystiscidae. Description (Described as ''Marginella vittata'') The shell has a subcylindrical shape and is rather flattened ...

'' ( Dillwyn, 1817) * '' Persicula cordorae'' Jong & Coomans, 1988 * '' Persicula cornea'' (

Lamarck Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, chevalier de Lamarck (1 August 1744 – 18 December 1829), often known simply as Lamarck (; ), was a French naturalist, biologist, academic, and soldier. He was an early proponent of the idea that biolo ...

, 1822) *'' Persicula danilai'' Bozzetti, 1992 *'' Persicula deburghi'' A. Adams, 1864 *'' Persicula denansiana'' Ancey, 1881 * '' Persicula enolae'' Le Béon, 2014 *'' Persicula frumentum'' (

Sowerby I George Brettingham Sowerby I (12 August 1788 – 26 July 1854) was a British naturalist, illustrator and conchologist. Life He was the second son of James Sowerby. George was educated at home under private tutors, and afterwards assisted his f ...

, 1832) * '' Persicula hennequini'' Boyer, Neefs & Wickfield, 1998 * '' Persicula hilli'' Smith, 1950 *'' Persicula imbricata'' Hinds, 1844 * '' Persicula ingridmariae'' T. Cossignani & Lorenz, 2019 * '' Persicula interruptolineata'' ( Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1816) * '' Persicula janae'' T. Cossignani & Lorenz, 2019 * '' Persicula maculosa'' ( Kiener, 1834) * '' Persicula maldiviana'' Cossignani, 2001 * '' Persicula margotae'' Le Béon, 2015 * '' Persicula masirana'' Roth & Petit, 1972 * '' Persicula moretzsohni'' Coltro, 2020 * '' Persicula multilineata'' Sowerby II, 1846 * '' Persicula muralis''

, 1844 * '' Persicula passamontii'' T. Cossignani & Lorenz, 2019 * ''

Persicula persicula ''Persicula persicula'', common name : the spotted marginella, is a species of very small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family (biology), family Cystiscidae. Description The shell size varies between 13 mm an ...

'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...

) *'' Persicula phrygia'' Sowerby III, 1846 * '' Persicula porcellana''

Gmelin Gmelin may refer to: * Karl Christian Gmelin, Carl Christian Gmelin (1762–1837), German botanist, author of ''Flora Badensis, Alsatica et confinium regionum cis- et transrhenania'' (1806) * Charles Gmelin (1872–1950), British Olympic athlete * ...

, 1791 * '' Persicula pulcherrima'' Gaskoin, 1849 * '' Persicula quemeneri'' Cossignani, 2001 *'' Persicula rashafuni'' Bozzetti, 1993 *'' Persicula robusta'' Sowerby III, 1904 *'' Persicula sagittata''

, 1844 *'' Persicula shepstonensis'' Smith, 1906 * '' Persicula tessellata'' (Lamarck, 1822) *'' Persicula testai'' Bozzetti, 1993 *'' Persicula vanpeli'' Moolenbeek & van der Bijl, 2008 *'' Persicula weberi'' Olsson & McGinty, 1958 ; Taxa inquirenda: * '' Persicula adamsiana'' Pilsbry & Love, 1932 * '' Persicula bulbulina'' Locard, 1897 * '' Persicula crossei'' Vélain, 1877 * '' Persicula glandina'' Vélain, 1877 * '' Persicula polyodonta'' Vélain, 1877

Synonyms

* ''Persicula alborubida'' Barnard, 1969: synonym of '' Cystiscus pseustes'' (E. A. Smith, 1904) * ''Persicula aldridgei'' Nowell-Usticke, 1969: synonym of '' Gibberula aldridgei'' (Nowell-Usticke, 1969) (original combination) * ''Persicula cassidiforme'' Gaskoin, 1853 : synonym of ''

Pachybathron cassidiforme ''Pachybathron cassidiforme'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk, in the family Cystiscidae Cystiscidae is a taxonomic family of small sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks or micromollusks. Description The shell is mi ...

'' (Gaskoin, 1853) * ''Persicula catenata'' Montagu, 1803 : synonym of '' Gibberula catenata'' (Montagu, 1803) * ''Persicula chudeaui'' Bavay: synonym of '' Gibberula chudeaui'' (Bavay in Dautzenberg, 1910) * ''Persicula cypraeoides'' Adams, 1845 : synonym of ''

Pachybathron cypraeoides ''Pachybathron cypraeoides'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk, in the family Cystiscidae Cystiscidae is a taxonomic family of small sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks or micromollusks. Description The shell is min ...

'' (Adams, C.B., 1845) * ''Persicula dalli'' Morretes, 1941: synonym of '' Archierato dalli'' (Morretes, 1941) (original combination) * ''Persicula dentiformis'' Thiele, 1930: synonym of '' Gibberula dentiformis'' (Thiele, 1930) * ''Persicula fluctuata'' Adams, 1850 : synonym of '' Gibberula fluctuata'' (Adams, 1850) * ''Persicula grisea'' Jousseaume, 1875: synonym of '' Cryptospira grisea'' (Jousseaume, 1875) (original combination) * ''Persicula kienerianum'' Petit, 1838 : synonym of '' Pachybathron kieneriana'' (Petit de la Saussaye, S., 1838) * ''Persicula lucens'' Locard, 1897: synonym of ''Persicula blanda'' (Hinds, 1844) * ''Persicula lucida'' (Marrat, 1877): synonym of '' Hyalina lucida'' (Marrat, 1877) * ''Persicula maculata'' Swainson, 1840: synonym of ''Persicula persicula'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Persicula maldiviana'' T. Cossignani, 2001: synonym of '' Gibberula maldiviana'' (T. Cossignani, 2001) (original combination) * ''Persicula miliaria'' (Linnaeus, 1758): synonym of '' Gibberula miliaria'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Persicula nigrocrocea'' Barnard, 1969: synonym of '' Plesiocystiscus aphanospira'' (Tomlin, 1913) * ''Persicula obesa'' (Redfield, 1846): synonym of ''Persicula tessellata'' (Lamarck, 1822) * ''Persicula persiculocingulata'' Tournier, 1997 : synonym of ''

'' (Linnaeus, C., 1758) * ''Persicula pisiformis'' Thiele, 1930: synonym of '' Cystiscus cymbalum'' (Tate, 1878) (junior synonym) * ''Persicula pulchella'' (Kiener, 1834): synonym of '' Gibberula pulchella'' (Kiener, 1834) * ''Persicula saharica'' Locard, 1897: synonym of ''Persicula blanda'' (Hinds, 1844) * ''Persicula tantilla'' Gould, 1860: synonym of '' Granulina tantilla'' (Gould, 1860) (original combination) * ''Persicula tayrona'' Diaz & Velasquez, 1987: synonym of ''

Pachybathron tayrona ''Pachybathron tayrona'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk, in the family Cystiscidae.MolluscaBase (2018). ''Pachybathron tayrona'' Díaz & Velásquez, 1987. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.m ...

'' Díaz, J.M. & Velasquez, 1987 * ''Persicula thomensis'' (Tomlin, 1919): synonym of '' Gibberula thomensis'' (Tomlin, 1919) * ''Persicula variabilis'' Schumacher, 1817: synonym of ''Persicula persicula'' (Linnaeus, 1758)

References

* Cossignani T. (2006). ''Marginellidae & Cystiscidae of the World''. L'Informatore Piceno. 408pp {{Taxonbar, from=Q3167885 Gastropod genera Cystiscidae