''Varicospira'' 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 ...

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 in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Rostellariidae Rostellariidae is a family of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha.Bouchet, P. (2010). Rostellariidae. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Registe ...

within the

Stromboidea The Stromboidea, originally named the Strombacea by Rafinesque in 1815, is a superfamily of medium-sized to very large sea snails in the clade Littorinimorpha.MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Stromboidea Rafinesque, 1815. Accessed through ...

, the true conchs and their allies.

Distribution

Species of this genus occur in the Central Indo-west Pacific and off Australia (

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

)

Species

Species within the genus ''Varicospira'' include: * '' Varicospira bekenuensis'' Raven, 2021 * '' Varicospira cancellata'' (Lamarck, 1816) * '' Varicospira crispata'' (G. B. Sowerby II, 1842) * † '' Varicospira decussata'' (J.L.M. Defrance in B. de Basterot, 1825 ) * '' Varicospira formosana'' (M. Yokoyama, 1928) * † '' Varicospira gerthi'' (A. Pannekoek, 1936) * † '' Varicospira integra'' (A. von Koenen, 1889) * '' Varicospira javana'' (K.Martin, 1879) * '' Varicospira kooli'' Moolenbeek & Dekker, 2007 * '' Varicospira longirostra'' (Pannekoek, 1936) * † '' Varicospira martini'' (A. Pannekoek, 1936) * '' Varicospira mordax'' (K.Martin, 1916) * † '' Varicospira narica'' (E.W. Vredenburg, 1925 ) * † '' Varicospira rakhiensis'' (F.E. Eames, 1952) * † '' Varicospira rembangensis'' (A. Pannekoek, 1936) * '' Varicospira reticulata'' Raven, 2021 * † '' Varicospira semicancellata'' (Martin, 1899) * † '' Varicospira sindiensis'' (E.W. Vredenburg, 1925) * † '' Varicospira spinifera'' (Martin, 1899) * † '' Varicospira subrimosa'' (A.V.M.D. D'Orbigny, 1852) * † '' Varicospira tenuiincisus'' (F.E. Eames, 1952) * † '' Varicospira toyamaensis'' (K. Tsuda, 1959 * '' Varicospira tyleri'' (H. Adams & A. Adams, 1864) * '' Varicospira zuschini'' Harzhauser, 2007 ;Species brought into synonymy: * ''Varicospira lee'' Iredale, 1958: synonym of ''Varicospira cancellata'' (Lamarck, 1816) ;Nomen dubium: * ''Varicospira speciosa'' (H. Adams & A. Adams, 1864)

References

* F. E. Eames. 1952. A contribution to the study of the Eocene in Western Pakistan and Western India: C. The description of the Scaphopoda and Gastropoda from standard sections in the Rakhi Nala and Zindar Pir areas of the Western Punjab and in the Kohat District. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B 236:1-168 * M. Harzhauser. 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 * M. Harzhauser, M. Euter, W. E. Piller, B. Berning, A. Kroh and O. Mandic. 2009. Oligocene and Early Miocene gastropods from Kutch (NW India) document an early biogeographic switch from Western Tethys to Indo-Pacific. Palaeontologische Zeitschrift 83:333-372 * H. S. Ladd. 1972. Cenozoic fossil mollusks from Western Pacific Islands; Gastropods (Turritellidae through Strombidae). United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 532:1-79 * H. S. Ladd. 1982. Cenozoic fossil mollusks from Western Pacific Islands; Gastropods (Volutidae through Terebridae). United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 1171:1-100 * J. J. Sepkoski. 2002. A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 363:1-560 Rostellariidae {{Strombidae-stub