''Pusionella'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

sea snail Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...

s, marine

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

s in the

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

Clavatulidae Clavatulidae is a taxonomic family of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea. The family is not well differentiated morphologically. Clavatulidae was raised, based on cladistic analysis, from subfamily to the family ...

Description

The fusiform shell is solid, smooth and shining, with numerous

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 ...

. 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. Spires are ...

is sharp. The lip lacks an anal sinus. The

siphonal canal The siphonal canal is an anatomical feature of the shells of certain groups of sea snails within the clade Neogastropoda. Some sea marine gastropods have a soft tubular anterior extension of the mantle called a siphon through which water is ...

is short, and exteriorly carinated at the base. The columella is twisted anteriorly. The operculum has a lateral nucleus. The eyes are located at the external bases of the tentacles.

Distribution

This genus occurs off the western coast of Africa.

Species

Species within the genus ''Pusionella'' include: * '' Pusionella buccinata'' (Lamarck, 1822) * ''

Pusionella compacta ''Pusionella compacta'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Clavatulidae. Description The shell grows to a length of 26 mm. (Original description) This form differs from the group of '' Clavatula milleti'' ...

'' Strebel, 1914 * '' Pusionella ghanaensis'' Boyer & Ryall, 2006 * '' Pusionella lirata'' Adams A., 1853 * '' Pusionella lupinus'' (Philippi, 1850) * '' Pusionella nifat'' (Bruguiere, 1789) * † '' Pusionella pseudofusus'' (Desmoulins, 1842) (fossil in depositis from the

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 recen ...

, Burdigalian, Graves near Bordeaux, France) * '' Pusionella rapulum'' Tryon, 1884 * '' Pusionella remorata'' Sykes, 1905 * ''

Pusionella valida ''Pusionella valida'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Clavatulidae. Description The size of an adult shell varies between 30 mm and 40 mm. The shell is smooth and ponderous. There are 11–12 whorls ...

'' (Dunker, 1852) * '' Pusionella vulpina'' (Born, 1780) ;Species brought into synonymy: * ''Pusionella aculeiformis'' (Lamarck, 1822): synonym of '' Perrona aculeiformis'' (Lamarck, 1816) * ''Pusionella albocincta'' (Petit de la Saussaye, 1851): synonym of '' Pusionella nifat'' (Bruguière, 1789) * ''Pusionella catelini'' (Petit de la Saussaye, 1851) accepted as '' Perrona aculeiformis'' (Lamarck, 1816) * ''Pusionella grandis'' A. Adams, 1853 : synonym of ''

'' (Dunker, 1852) * ''Pusionella haasi'' Dautzenberg, 1912: synonym of ''

'' (Dunker, 1852) * ''Pusionella kraepelini'' Strebel, 1914: synonym of ''

Clavatula kraepelini ''Clavatula kraepelini'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Clavatulidae. Description The size of an adult shell varies between 25 mm and 37 mm. The shiny shell has a maroon color. Sometimes its bo ...

'' (Strebel, 1914) * ''Pusionella milleti milleti'' (Petit de la Saussaye, 1851) : synonym of '' Clavatula milleti'' (Petit de la Saussaye, 1851) * ''Pusionella milleti subgranulatus'' (Petit de la Saussaye, 1851): synonym of '' Clavatula milleti'' (Petit de la Saussaye, 1851) * ''Pusionella rafel'' Pallary, P., 1920: synonym of '' Pusionella vulpina'' (Born, 1780) * ''Pusionella recurvirostris'' Marrat, 1877 accepted as ''Pusionella aculeiformis'' (Lamarck, 1816) accepted as '' Perrona aculeiformis'' (Lamarck, 1816) * ''Pusionella scripta'' Nordsieck, 1975: synonym of ''

Mitrella broderipi ''Mitrella broderipii'' is a species of sea snail in the family Columbellidae The Columbellidae, the dove snails or dove shells, are a family of minute to small sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the order Neogastropoda.Bouchet, P.; Gof ...

'' (G.B. Sowerby I, 1844) * ''Pusionella testabilis'' Jousseaume, 1896: synonym of '' Daphnella rissoides'' (Reeve, 1843)

References

* Petit R.E. (2012) John Edward Gray (1800-1875): his malacological publications and molluscan taxa. Zootaxa 3214: 1-125. page(s): 137; note: type species fixation under Art. 70.3

External links

Gray, J. E. (1847). A list of the genera of recent Mollusca, their synonyma and types. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. (1847) 15: 129-219.

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=Q3722676