Scissurellidae, sometimes known by the

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 ...

little slit snails, are 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 minute 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 or

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

s in the clade

Vetigastropoda Vetigastropoda is a major taxonomic group of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks that form a very ancient lineage. Taxonomically the Vetigastropoda are sometimes treated as an order, although they are treated as an unranked clade in Bou ...

(according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).Bouchet, P. (2011). Scissurellidae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1730 on 2011-05-08 The shells of these snails vary in adult size from less than 6 mm to less than 1 mm.

Distribution

Scissurellids occur world-wide, from the

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species ...

down to the abyssal depths, including around hydrothermal vents.

Taxonomy

There are about 169 living described species of Scissurellidae, but the diversity of scissurellids is still far from being completely assessed (approximately 60 collected species await description). The

monophyly In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gr ...

of the family is questionable. In 2003, there were about twenty-five genera divided into five subfamilies (Scissurellinae, Anatominae, Sutilizoninae, Temnocinclinae, Larocheinae) . Three of these subfamilies were later updated to family level. According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005), this family consisted of the two following subfamilies : * Scissurellinae Gray, 1847 - synonym: Depressizoninae Geiger, 2003; now accepted with family rank Scissurellidae. * Larocheinae Finlay, 1927: now elevated to family rank as

Larocheidae Larocheidae is a family of small to minute sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs or micromollusc A micromollusk is a shelled mollusk which is extremely small, even at full adult size. The word is usually, but not exclusively, applied to m ...

. However Geiger (2009)Geiger D. L.(8 May 2009) "A new species of ''Depressizona'' and the family rank of Depressizonidae". ''

Zootaxa ''Zootaxa'' is a peer-reviewed scientific mega journal for animal taxonomists. It is published by Magnolia Press ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view ...

'' 2059: 57-59
abstractfull article
elevated Depressizoninae to the family rank as

Depressizonidae ''Depressizona'' is a genus of small to minute sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs or micromolluscs in the superfamily Scissurelloidea. ''Depressizona'' is the only genus within the family Depressizonidae. Depressizonidae was described as t ...

Genera

Genera in the family Scissurellidae include: * ''

Coronadoa ''Coronadoa'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks 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 ...

'' Bartsch, 1915 * '' Incisura'' Hedley, 1904 * ''

Satondella ''Satondella'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks 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 ...

'' Bandel, 1998 * '' Scissurella''

d'Orbigny Alcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny (6 September 1802 – 30 June 1857) was a French naturalist who made major contributions in many areas, including zoology (including malacology), palaeontology, geology, archaeology and anthropol ...

, 1824 * ''

Sinezona ''Sinezona'' is a genus of minute sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks or micromollusks in the family Scissurellidae, the little slit shells. Description The shell has turbinate or depressed turbinate form. The anal fissure is closed, forming ...

'' Finlay, 1927 * '' Sukashitrochus'' Habe & Kosuge, 1964 * '' Triassurella'' A. Nützel and D. L. Geiger. 2006 A. Nützel and D. L. Geiger. 2006. A new scissurelloid genus and species (Mollusca, Gastropoda) from the Late Triassic Cassian Formation. Paläontologische Zeitschrift 80(3):277-283 ;Genera brought into synonymy: * '' Ariella'' Bandel, 1998: synonym of ''

'' Finlay, 1926 * ''Daizona'' Bandel, 1998: synonym of ''Sinezona'' Finlay, 1926 * ''Maxwellella'' Bandel, 1998: synonym of ''Scissurella'' d'Orbigny, 1824 * † ''Praescissurella'' Lozouet, 1998: synonym of ''Scissurella'' d'Orbigny, 1824 * † ''Reussella'' Bandel, 1998: synonym of ''Scissurella'' d'Orbigny, 1824 * ''Schismope'' Jeffreys, 1856: synonym of ''Scissurella'' d'Orbigny, 1824 * ''Scissurona'' Iredale, 1824: synonym of '' Incisura'' Hedley, 1904 * ''

Temnocinclis ''Temnocinclis'' is a monotypic genus of sea snails in family Sutilizonidae containing the single species ''Temnocinclis euripes''. This mollusc, a species of slit-limpet that measures up to four millimeters long, lives at hydrothermal vent A ...

'' - in its own family

Sutilizonidae Sutilizonidae is a taxonomic family of sea snails, deepwater hydrothermal vent snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Vetigastropoda (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005). Taxonomy This family has no ...

* ''

Temnozaga ''Temnozaga'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Sutilizonidae Sutilizonidae is a taxonomic family of sea snails, deepwater hydrothermal vent snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Vetigastropoda (accor ...

'' - in its own family

* ''Woodwardia'' Crosse & P. Fischer, 1861: synonym of ''Scissurella'' d'Orbigny, 1824

References

* Geiger D.L. (2003). ''Phylogenetic assessment of characters proposed for the generic classification of Recent Scissurellidae (Gastropoda: Vetigastropoda) with a description of one new genus and six new species frop Easter Island and Australia''. Molluscan Research 23:21-83 * Geiger D.L. (2012) ''Monograph of the little slit shells. Volume 1. Introduction, Scissurellidae. pp. 1-728. Volume 2. Anatomidae, Larocheidae, Depressizonidae, Sutilizonidae, Temnocinclidae''. pp. 729–1291. Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Monographs Number 7.

External links

Natural History Museum Rotterdam page of images of this family
{{Use dmy dates, date=May 2017 Taxa named by John Edward Gray

Distribution

Taxonomy

Genera

References

Further reading

External links