''Turritella'' 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 medium-sized

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 with an operculum, 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

Turritellidae Turritellidae, with the common name "tower shells" or "tower snails", is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of small- to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the Sorbeoconcha clade. They are filter feeders; ...

.Vos, C.; Gofas, S. (2013). Turritella Lamarck, 1799. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138615 on 2013-06-02 They have tightly coiled shells, whose overall shape is basically that of an elongated cone. The name ''Turritella'' comes from the Latin word ''turritus'' meaning "turreted" or "towered" and the diminutive suffix ''-ella''.

Species

Valid

Valid species within the genus ''Tarantella'' are listed below. Fossil species are marked with a dagger "†". * '' Turritella acropora'' (Dall, 1889) * '' Turritella albolapis'' Finlay, 1924 * '' Turritella algida'' Melvill & Standen, 1912 * ''

Turritella anactor ''Turritella anactor'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turritellidae Turritellidae, with the common name "tower shells" or "tower snails", is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of sma ...

'' Berry, 1957 * '' Turritella annulata'' Kiener, 1843 * † '' Turritella apicalis'' - Pleistocene of Florida * '' Turritella attenuata'' Reeve, 1849 * '' Turritella aurocincta'' Martens, 1875 * '' Turritella bacillum'' Kiener, 1843 * † ''

Turritella badensis ''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 ...

'' - Cenozoic of Denmark, Germany and Poland * '' Turritella banksii'' Gray in Reeve, 1849 * '' Turritella bayeri'' Petuch, 2001 * ''

Turritella bicingulata ''Turritella bicingulata'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turritellidae. Description Distribution This species occurs in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Verde, Gabon and Angola Angola, officially the Re ...

'' Lamarck, 1822 * ''

Turritella broderipiana ''Turritella broderipiana'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turritellidae Turritellidae, with the common name "tower shells" or "tower snails", is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family o ...

'' d'Orbigny, 1840 * '' Turritella caelata'' Mörch in Dunker, 1858 * '' Turritella capensis'' (Krauss, 1848) * ''

Turritella carinifera ''Turritella carinifera'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriag ...

'' Lamarck, 1822 * '' Turritella chordata'' Suter, 1908 * '' Turritella chrysotoxa'' Tomlin, 1825 *'' Turritella cingulata'' Sowerby, 1825 * '' Turritella cingulifera'' G.B. Sowerby I, 1825 * '' Turritella clarionensis'' Hertlein & Strong, 1951 * '' Turritella cochlea'' Reeve, 1849 * '' Turritella columnaris'' Kiener, 1843 * '' Turritella communis'' Risso, 1826 * '' Turritella concava'' Martens, 1880 * ''

Turritella congelata ''Turritella congelata'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turritellidae Turritellidae, with the common name "tower shells" or "tower snails", is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of s ...

'' Adams & Reeve, 1850 * '' Turritella conofasciata'' (Sacco 1895) * '' Turritella conspersa'' Adams & Reeve, 1850 * '' Turritella cooperi'' Carpenter, 1864 * '' Turritella cornea'' Lamarck, 1822 * '' Turritella couteaudi'' Rochebrune & Mabille, 1889 * † '' Turritella crenulata'' Nyst, 1844 * '' Turritella crocea'' Kiener, 1843 * † '' Turritella cruzadoi'' DeVries, 2007 * '' Turritella decipiens'' Monterosato, 1878 * '' Turritella declivis'' Adams & Reeve, 1850 * '' Turritella dirkhartogensis'' (Garrard, 1972) * '' Turritella duplicata'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * '' Turritella dura'' Mörch, 1860 * '' Turritella elachista'' Rochebrune & Mabille, 1889 * '' Turritella exoleta'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''

Turritella fastigiata ''Turritella fastigiata'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turritellidae Turritellidae, with the common name "tower shells" or "tower snails", is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of s ...

'' Adams & Reeve, 1850 * '' Turritella ferruginea'' Reeve, 1849 * '' Turritella fultoni'' Melvill & Standen, 1901 * '' Turritella fuscomaculata'' Bozzetti, 2009 * '' Turritella gemmata'' Reeve, 1849 * '' Turritella gonostoma'' Valenciennes, 1832 * '' Turritella hastula'' Reeve, 1849 * '' Turritella hookeri'' Reeve, 1849 * '' Turritella incisa'' Reeve, 1849 * † '' Turritella incrassata'' -

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Turritella knysnaensis'' Krauss, 1848 * '' Turritella leeuwinensis'' (Garrard, 1972) * '' Turritella lentiginosa'' Reeve, 1849 * '' Turritella leucostoma'' Valenciennes, 1832 * '' Turritella ligar'' Deshayes, 1843 * '' Turritella lindae'' (Petuch, 1987) * '' Turritella lyonsi'' Garcia, 2006 * '' Turritella maculata'' Reeve, 1849 * '' Turritella marianopsis'' Petuch, 1990 * '' Turritella minuta'' Turton, 1932 * '' Turritella monilifera'' Adams & Reeve, 1850 * '' Turritella monterosatoi'' Kobelt, 1887 * '' Turritella nebulosa'' Kiener, 1843 * '' Turritella nodulosa'' King & Broderip, 1832 * '' Turritella praetermissa'' (Dautzenberg, 1912) * '' Turritella punctata'' Kiener, 1843 * '' Turritella radula'' Kiener, 1843 * '' Turritella reevei'' Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1906 * † '' Turritella riverae'' DeVries, 2007 * '' Turritella rubescens'' Reeve, 1849 * † '' Turritella salasi'' DeVries, 2007 * '' Turritella sanguinea'' Reeve, 1849 * '' Turritella sedanensis'' (Martin 1905) * † '' Turritella steiningeri'' Harzhauser, 2007Harzhauser M. (2007). "Oligocene and Aquitanian gastropod faunas from the Sultanate of Oman and their biogeographic implications for the western Indo-Pacific". '' Palaeontographica Abteilung'' A 280: 75-121
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* '' Turritella terebra'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * † '' Turritella terebralis'' Lamarck, 1799 * '' Turritella torulosa'' Kiener, 1843 * † '' Turritella trempina'' - Pliocene * '' Turritella triplicata'' Philippi, 1836 * '' Turritella turbona'' Monterosato, 1877 * † ''

Turritella turris ''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. ...

'' - Early

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), 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 mea ...

of Central Europe * '' Turritella ungulina'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * '' Turritella variegata'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''

Turritella vermicularis ''Turritella vermicularis'' is an extinct species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family (biology), family Turritellidae. These sea snails lived from the Miocene to the Pliocene epoch, approximately from 37.2 to 2.588 million y ...

'' (Brocchi, 1814) * † '' Turritella vertebroides'' Morton, 1834 - Late

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

of South of North America * '' Turritella wareni'' Ryall & Vos, 2010 * '' Turritella willetti'' McLean, 1970 * '' Turritella yucatecana'' (Dall, 1881) Seashell1

Invalid

These are species assigned to ''Turritella'' that were brought into synonymy with other

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

: * ''Turritella (Torcula)'' Gray, 1847: synonym of ''Turritella'' Lamarck, 1799 * ''Turritella (Torcula) cochlea'' Reeve, 1849: synonym of '' Turritella cochlea'' Reeve, 1849 * ''Turritella acicula'' Stimpson, 1851: synonym of '' Turritellopsis stimpsoni'' (Dall, 1919) * ''Turritella alternata'' Say, 1822: synonym of '' Bittiolum alternatum'' (Say, 1822) * † ''Turritella andenensis'' Otuka, 1934: synonym of '' Neohaustator andenensis'' (Otuka, 1934) * ''Turritella aquila'' Reeve, 1849: synonym of ''Turritella conspersa'' Adams & Reeve, 1850 * ''Turritella areolata'' Stimpson, 1851: synonym of '' Tachyrhynchus reticulatus'' (Mighels & Adams, 1842) * ''Turritella auricincta'' Martens, 1875: synonym of '' Turritella aurocincta'' Martens, 1875 * ''Turritella bicolor'' Adams & Reeve, 1850: synonym of ''Turritella cingulifera'' G.B. Sowerby I, 1825 * ''Turritella brevialis'' Lamarck, 1822: synonym of '' Mesalia brevialis'' (Lamarck, 1822) * ''Turritella canaliculata'' Adams & Reeve, 1850: synonym of '' Turritella cingulifera'' G.B. Sowerby I, 1825 * ''Turritella candida'' Reeve, 1849: synonym of ''Turritella gemmata'' Reeve, 1849 * ''Turritella cingulata'' Sowerby, 1825 is a synonym of '' Incatella cingulata'' (Sowerby, 1825)DeVries T. J. (2007). "Cenozoic Turritellidae (Gastropoda) from southern Peru". ''

Journal of Paleontology The ''Journal of Paleontology'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the field of paleontology. It is managed and published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Paleontological Society. Indexing The ''Journal of Paleontology ...

'' 81(2): 331-351. . * ''Turritella concava'' Say, 1826: synonym of'' Terebra concava'' (Say, 1826) * ''Turritella costulata'' Mighels & Adams, 1842: synonym of '' Acirsa borealis'' (Lyell, 1841) * ''Turritella costulata'' Møller, 1842: synonym of '' Eumetula arctica'' (Mørch, 1857) * ''Turritella crenulata'' (Donald, 1900): synonym of '' Colpospira joannae'' (Hedley, 1923) * ''Turritella erosa'' Couthouy, 1838: synonym of '' Tachyrhynchus erosus'' (Couthouy, 1838) * ''Turritella eschrichti'' Hölböll in Möller, 1842: synonym of '' Acirsa borealis'' (Lyell, 1841) * ''Turritella excavata'' G. B. Sowerby III, 1870: synonym of '' Turritella declivis'' Adams & Reeve in Reeve, 1849 * ''Turritella flammulata'' Kiener, 1843-44: synonym of''Turritella ligar'' Deshayes, 1843 * ''Turritella fortilirata'' G. B. Sowerby III, 1914: synonym of '' Neohaustator fortilirata'' (G. B. Sowerby III, 1914) * ''Turritella gracillima'' Gould, 1860: synonym of '' Turritella cingulifera'' G. B. Sowerby I, 1825 * ''Turritella granosa'' Quoy & Gaimard, 1834: synonym of '' Opalia granosa'' (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834) * ''Turritella imbricata'' (Linnaeus, 1758): synonym of ''Turritella variegata'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Turritella knysnaensis'' Krauss, 1848: synonym of ''Turritella capensis'' (Krauss, 1848) * ''Turritella lactea'' Möller, 1842: synonym of '' Mesalia lactea'' (Möller, 1842) * † ''Turritella maiquetiana'' Weisbord, 1962: synonym of ''Turritella paraguanensis'' Hodson, 1926 * ''Turritella mediolevis'' Verco, 1910: synonym of '' Colpospira mediolevis'' (Verco, 1910) * ''Turritella meta'' Reeve, 1849: synonym of '' Turritella gemmata'' * ''Turritella monterosatoi'' Kobelt, 1887: synonym of ''Turritella turbona'' Monterosato, 1877 * ''Turritella nzimaorum'' Ryall & Vos, 2010: synonym of ''Turritella caelata'' Mörch in Dunker, 1858 * ''Turritella opalina'' Adams & Reeve, 1850: synonym of ''Mesalia opalina'' (Adams & Reeve, 1850) * ''Turritella opulenta'' Hedley, 1907: synonym of '' Glyptozaria opulenta'' (Hedley, 1907) * ''Turritella paraguanensis'' Hodson, 1926: synonym of ''Turritella variegata'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Turritella philippi'' Aradas, 1842: synonym of '' Acirsa subdecussata'' (Cantraine, 1835) * ''Turritella polaris'' Möller, 1842: synonym of '' Tachyrhynchus erosus'' (Couthouy, 1838) * ''Turritella spina'' Crosse & Fischer, 1864: synonym of '' Cingulina spina'' (Crosse & Fischer, 1864) * ''Turritella reticulata'' Mighels & Adams, 1842: synonym of '' Tachyrhynchus reticulatus'' (Mighels & Adams, 1842) * ''Turritella spirata'' Sowerby I, 1825: synonym of '' Eglisia spirata'' (Sowerby I, 1825) * ''Turritella symmetrica'' Hutton, 1873: synonym of '' Stiracolpus symmetricus'' (Hutton, 1873) * ''Turritella trisulcata'' Lamarck, 1822: synonym of ''Turritella vermicularis'' * ''Turritella yucatecanum'' Dall, 1881: synonym of ''Turritella yucatecana'' (Dall, 1881)

Fossil species

The genus is known from the

to the

Recent The Holocene () is the current geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene together form the Qu ...

periods. The shells are quite frequently found as

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

s, and the

carbonate A carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid, (), characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, a polyatomic ion with the formula . The word "carbonate" may also refer to a carbonate ester, an organic compound containing the carbonate group ...

stone made from large quantities of ''Turritella'' shells is often referred to as "Turritella limestone", or, if

silicified In geology, silicification is a process in which silica-rich fluids seep into the voids of Earth materials, e.g., rocks, wood, bones, shells, and replace the original materials with silica (SiO2). Silica is a naturally existing and abundant com ...

, "Turritella agate". Both varieties of this stone are commonly sold as polished

cabochon A cabochon (; ) is a gemstone that has been shaped and polished, as opposed to faceted. The resulting form is usually a convex (rounded) obverse with a flat reverse. Cabochon was the default method of preparing gemstones before gemstone cuttin ...

"Turritella agate"

One variety of "Turritella agate", that from the Green River Formation in Wyoming, is a

fossiliferous A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved i ...

rock which does indeed contain numerous high-spired snail shells. However, contrary to the common name, these snails are not in the marine genus ''Turritella'', instead they are freshwater snails in the species '' Elimia tenera'', family Pleuroceridae from the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

epoch. The rock in which these snail shells are so abundant varies from a soft

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

to a dense

chalcedony Chalcedony ( or ) is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of quartz and moganite. These are both silica minerals, but they differ in that quartz has a trigonal crystal structure, while moganite is monoclinic ...

. This dense silicified rock is popular with gem and mineral hobbyists, as well as with

New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...

practitioners.

Turritellenplatte

The ''Erminger

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 protect ...

'' ("''Turritella'' plate of Ermingen") near

Ulm Ulm () is the sixth-largest city of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with around 129,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 60th-largest city. Ulm is located on the eastern edges of the Swabian Jura mountain range, on the up ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

is a rocky

outcrop An outcrop or rocky outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth and other terrestrial planets. Features Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most p ...

situated in the northern part of the North Alpine Foreland Basin. It is famous for its superabundance of ''

'' shells within its sediments Baier J. (2008). "Über die Tertiärbildungen im Ulmer Raum" On Tertiary structures in the Ulm region" ''Documenta Naturae'' 168: 1-32. and dates from the

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

References

Caenogastropoda
i
Man and Mollusc

External links

"1. Turritella bicolor; 2. Turritella congelata; 3. Turritella conspersa; 4. Turritella miltilirata; 5. Turritella vittulata; 6. Turritella monilifera; 7. Turritella opalina; 8. Eglisia tricarinata; 9. Turritella fastigiata; 10. Turritela declivis; 11. Turritella canaliculata"
New York Public Library no-charge digital image available; image dated 1850. {{Taxonbar, from=Q76879 Prehistoric life of Europe Turritellidae Cretaceous molluscs Cenozoic molluscs Extant Late Jurassic first appearances Gastropod genera