Turritellidae,

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contra ...

the "tower shells" or "tower snails", is a

taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. A ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

of small to medium-sized sea snails,

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

gastropod molluscs in the clade

Sorbeoconcha Sorbeoconcha is a taxonomic clade of snails, i.e. gastropods, mainly marine species with gills and opercula, within the clade Caenogastropoda. The taxon Sorbeoconcha was named by Winston Ponder and David R. Lindberg in 1997. Taxonomy 1997 taxo ...

. These snails are

filter feeder Filter feeders are a sub-group of suspension feeding animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialized filtering structure. Some animals that use this method of feedin ...

s. This method of feeding is somewhat unusual among gastropod mollusks, but is very common in

bivalves Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, biv ...

Shell description

The shells of turritellid species have

whorls 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). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral d ...

that are more convex and an

aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. An ...

which is more circular than it is in the

auger shell Auger may refer to: Engineering * Wood auger, a drill for making holes in wood (or in the ground) ** Auger bit, a drill bit * Auger conveyor, a device for moving material by means of a rotating helical flighting * Auger (platform), the world ...

s which are similarly high-spired. The

columella Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (; Arabic: , 4 – ) was a prominent writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. His ' in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture, together with the ...

is curved and the thin operculum is horny.

Anatomy of the soft parts

These snails burrow into mud or sand. The foot is relatively small. Seashell1

Turritella shells in Vienna Natural History Museum - IZE-2290b

Taxonomy

The following five

subfamilies In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

were recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005): *

Turritellinae Turritellidae, common name the "tower shells" or "tower snails", is a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Sorbeoconcha. These snails are filter feeders. This method of feeding is somewhat ...

Lovén, 1847 - synonyms: Zariinae Gray, 1850; Zeacolpini Marwick, 1971; Archimediellidae Starobogatov, 1982; Tachyrhynchinae Golikov, 1986 *Orectospirinae Habe, 1955 *Pareorinae Finlay & Marwick, 1937 *Protominae

Marwick Marwick is a Scottish surname, that may refer to: *Arthur Marwick (1936–2006), Scottish historian *Ernest Marwick (1915–1977), Scottish writer *Hugh Marwick (1885–1965), Scottish scholar *James Marwick (born 1862), founder of accountancy p ...

, 1957 *Vermiculariinae

Dall Dall may refer to: People * Anders Bendssøn Dall (died 1607), Danish Lutheran bishop * Bobby Dall (born 1963), American musician * Caroline Healey Dall (1822–1912), American feminist writer *Clarrie Dall (1887–1953), Australian footballer * C ...

, 1913 - synonym: Pseudomesaliidae mahmoud, 1955 (inv.)

Genera

Genera within the family Turritellidae include: ;Turritellinae * '' Archimediella'' Sacco, 1895 * '' Banzarecolpus'' Powell, 1957 * ''

Colpospira ''Colpospira'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae. Species Species within the genus ''Colpospira'' include: * ''Colpospira accisa'' (Watson, 1881) * ''Colpospira atkinsoni'' (Tate & May, 1900) * ' ...

'' Donald, 1900 * ''

Gazameda ''Gazameda'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae. Species Species within the genus ''Gazameda'' include: * ''Gazameda gunnii'' (Reeve, 1849) * ''Gazameda iredalei'' Finlay, 1927 * ''Gazameda madaga ...

'' Iredale, 1924 * '' Glyptozaria'' Iredale, 1924 * '' Incatella'' DeVries, 2007 * '' Maoricolpus'' Finlay, 1927 * ''

Spirocolpus ''Spirocolpus'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae Turritellidae, common name the "tower shells" or "tower snails", is a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod ...

'' Finlay, 1927 * ''

Stiracolpus ''Stiracolpus'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae.Vos, C.; Bouchet, P. (2014). Stiracolpus Finlay, 1926. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p ...

'' Finlay, 1926 * ''

Tachyrhynchus ''Tachyrhynchus'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae. Species Species within the genus ''Tachyrhynchus'' include: * ''Tachyrhynchus erosus ''Tachyrhynchus erosus'', common name the eroded turre ...

'' Mörch, 1868 * ''

Turritella ''Turritella'' is a genus of medium-sized sea snails with an Operculum (gastropod), operculum, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusc, mollusks in the family Turritellidae.Vos, C.; Gofas, S. (2013). Turritella Lamarck, 1799. Accessed through: W ...

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 biolog ...

, 1799 - the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nomina ...

of the family, synonyms: ''Torcula'' Gray, 1847; ''Proto'' Blainville, 1824 ** subgenus ''

Haustator ''Turritella'' is a genus of medium-sized sea snails with an operculum, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae.Vos, C.; Gofas, S. (2013). Turritella Lamarck, 1799. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.m ...

'' Montfort, 1810Harzhauser M. (2007). "Oligocene and Aquitanian gastropod faunas from the Sultanate of Oman and their biogeographic implications for the western Indo-Pacific". ''

Palaeontographica Abteilung External linksSerials list
@ schweizerbart.de E. Schweizerbart academic journals, * Lists of academic journals by publisher, E. Schweizerbart ...

'' A 280: 75-121
PDF
* ''

Zeacolpus ''Zeacolpus'' is a genus of medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Turritellidae, known as the turritellas or tower shells.Vos, C. (2010). Zeacolpus Finlay, 1927. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World M ...

'' Finlay, 1927 * ''

Zaria Zaria is a metropolitan city in Nigeria which at the present time lies within four (4) local government areas in Kaduna state; it happens to be the capital city to the Zazzau Emirate Council, and one of the original seven Hausa city-states ...

'' Gray, 1842: synonym of ''Turritella'' Lamarck, 1799 ;Orectospirinae * ''

Orectospira ''Orectospira'' is a genus of sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Turritellidae. Species Species within the genus ''Orectospira'' include: * ''Orectospira babelica'' (Dall, 1907) * ''Orectospir ...

'' Dall, 1925 ;Pareorinae * † '' Batillona'' Finlay, 1927 * ''

Pareora Pareora is a small town in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located close to State Highway 1, which bypasses the western edge of the town, and close to the Pacific Ocean coast, five kilometres north of Saint Andrews and 10 kilometres south ...

'' Marwick, 1931 ;Protominae * ''

Protoma ''Protoma'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae. Species Extant species within the genus ''Protoma'' include: * '' Protoma knockeri'' Baird, 1870 ; Species brought into synonymy: * ''Protoma capensis' ...

'' Baird, 1870 -( synonym: ''Protomella'' Thiele, 1929) ;Vermiculariinae * '' Callostracum'' E. A. Smith, 1909 * ''

Vermicularia ''Vermicularia'' is a genus of sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod molluscs in the family (biology), family Turritellidae. Species Species within the genus ''Vermicularia'' include: * ''Vermicularia bathyalis'' Petuch, 2002 * ''Vermicul ...

, 1799 family ? * ''

Armatus Flavius Armatus (died 477), also known as Harmatius, was an Eastern Roman military commander, ''magister militum'' under Emperors Leo I, Basiliscus and Zeno, and consul. He was instrumental in the rebellion of Basiliscus against Zeno, and in his ...

'' Golikov, 1986 * † '' Colposigma'' Finlay & Marwick, 1937 * ''

Mesalia ''Mesalia'' is a genus of sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Turritellidae. Species Species within the genus ''Mesalia'' include: * ''Mesalia brevialis'' (Lamarck, 1822) * ''Mesalia flammife ...

'' Gray, 1847 * ''

Neohaustator ''Neohaustator'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae. Species Species within the genus ''Neohaustator'' include: * ''Neohaustator andenensis ''Neohaustator'' is a genus of sea snails, marine ga ...

'' Ida, 1952 * † ''

Palmerella ''Palmerella'' is a genus of plants in the family Campanulaceae. It has only one known species, ''Palmerella debilis'', long known by the synonym ''Lobelia dunnii''. It is native to 8 counties in southern California (San Diego, Orange, Riversid ...

'' Allmon 1996Halder, K., & Sinha, P. (2014). "Some Eocene Cerithioids (Gastropoda, Mollusca) from Kutch, Western India, and Their Bearing on Palaeobiogeography of the Indian Subcontinent". ''Paleontology Journal'', 2014, Article ID 673469, . * † '' Tropicolpus'' Marwick, 1931

Palaeontological locations

* The

Turritellenplatte The Turritellenplatte of Ermingen ("Erminger Turritellenplatte" near Ulm, Germany) is a type of very rich, fossil-bearing rock which is of particular interest to geologists and paleontologists. It occurs in a very restricted outcrop and is prote ...

of Ermingen ("Erminger Turritellenplatte" near

Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

) is situated in the northern part of the North Alpine Foreland Basin (NAFB) and is famous for its abundance of ''

turris'' gastropod shells within

sedimentary deposit Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles ...

s. The fauna of this gastropod-rich sandstone reflects mainly near-coastal and shallow marine conditions. Petrographical and palaeontological data allow a correlation of ''Turritellenplatte'' of Ermingen with

Burdigalian The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age or stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). Preceded by the Aquitanian, the Burdigalian was the first and longest war ...

(Lower

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...

). Sr-isotope composition of

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

teeth suggests an age of about 18,5 Ma for the ''Turritellenplatte'' of Ermingen.Baier J. (2008). "Ein Beitrag zur Erminger Turritellenplatte (Mittlere Schwäbische Alb, SW-Deutschland)". ''Jahresbericht Mitt. oberrhein. geol. Ver.'', N.F. 90: 9-17. Stuttgart, .

References

External links

*
Selachian fauna of Turritellenplatte
Abstract of Baier et al. 2004

Abstract of Baier 2008

Miocene Gastropods and Biostratigraphy of the Kern River Area, California; United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 642
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2461107 Gastropod families