''Veprecula'' 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
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 ...
Raphitomidae
Raphitomidae is a Family (biology), family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.) (2005). "Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families" ...
.
Description
(Original description) This genus has been created by Melvill in 1917 for a series of deep-water species of ''Clathurella'' with several peculiarities.
The small, thin, delicate shell has a pale brown or white, fusiform
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. Spire ...
, either very attenuate, or pagodiform, or broader, and ventricose, always much suturally impressed. The shell contains 10-12
whorl
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).
In nature
File:Photograph and axial plane floral diagra ...
s with 4-5 whorlsin the
protoconch
A protoconch (meaning first or earliest or original shell) is an embryonic or larval shell which occurs in some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod. In older texts it is also called " ...
. The first of these is smooth, the second to the fourth or fifth are very finely longitudinally radially costulate. The
remainder are either few or closely ribbed, crossed by frequent or more distant lirations, acutely echinate at the points of junction,
interstices appearing deeply seated, almost smooth, quadrate or oblong. The
aperture
In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...
is oblong. The outer
lip
The lips are a horizontal pair of soft appendages attached to the jaws and are the most visible part of the mouth of many animals, including humans. Mammal lips are soft, movable and serve to facilitate the ingestion of food (e.g. sucklin ...
is thin. The sinus is deep and wide, situated immediately below the suture. The siphonal canal is produced and fusiform.
Species
Species within the genus ''Veprecula'' include:
* ''
Veprecula arethusa
''Veprecula arethusa'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.
Description
The length of the shell varies between 5 mm and 11.5 mm.
At the base of the body whorl, around the cauda, a faint brown band i ...
''
(Dall, 1918)
* ''
Veprecula bandensis''
Sysoev, 1997
* ''
Veprecula brunonia''
(Dall, 1924)
* ''
Veprecula cooperi''
Mestayer, 1919
* ''
Veprecula crystallina''
Stahlschmidt, Chino & Kilburn, 2012
* ''
Veprecula echinulata''
(Thiele, 1925)
* ''
Veprecula gracilispira''
(Smith E. A., 1879)
* ''
Veprecula hedleyi''
(Melvill, 1904)
* ''
Veprecula pungens
''Veprecula pungens'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.
Description
The length of the shell attains 9 mm.
This species partakes of the general aspect of Veprecula arethusa but is distinguis ...
''
(Gould, 1860)
* ''
Veprecula scala
''Veprecula scala'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.
Description
The length of the shell attains 5.5 mm, its diameter 2 mm.
(Original description) The slender, fusiform shell is excavate at the ...
''
Hedley, 1922
* ''
Veprecula sculpta
''Veprecula sculpta'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.
Description
The length of the shell attains 21 mm.
The whorls are rather flatly convex, ribbed longitudinally, crossed by fine revolving li ...
''
(Hinds, 1843)
* ''
Veprecula spanionema''
(Melvill, 1917)
* ''
Veprecula sykesii''
(Melvill & Standen, 1903)
* ''
Veprecula tornipila''
McLean & Poorman, 1971
* ''
Veprecula vacillata''
Hedley, 1922
* ''
Veprecula vepratica''
(Hedley, 1903)
;Species brought into synonymy:
* ''Veprecula menecharmes''
Melvill, 1923: synonym of ''
Tritonoturris menecharmes''
(Melvill, 1923)
* ''Veprecula morra''
(Dall, 1881):
synonym of ''
Rimosodaphnella morra
''Rimosodaphnella morra'', common name the Morra daphnella, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.
Description
The length of the shell varies between 3 mm and 11 mm.
(Original description) T ...
''
(Dall, 1881)
* ''Veprecula polyacantha''
Stahlschmidt, Chino & Kilburn, 2012: synonym of ''
Famelica polyacantha''
(Stahlschmidt, Chino & Kilburn, 2012) (original combination)
* ''Veprecula reticulosa''
Smith, 1882: synonym of ''
Veprecula arethusa
''Veprecula arethusa'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.
Description
The length of the shell varies between 5 mm and 11.5 mm.
At the base of the body whorl, around the cauda, a faint brown band i ...
''
(Dall, 1918)
* ''Veprecula togetoges''
Nomura & Niino, 1940: synonym of ''
Veprecula arethusa
''Veprecula arethusa'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.
Description
The length of the shell varies between 5 mm and 11.5 mm.
At the base of the body whorl, around the cauda, a faint brown band i ...
''
(Dall, 1918)
References
* Bouchet P., Kantor Yu.I., Sysoev A. & Puillandre N. (2011)'' A new operational classification of the Conoidea''. Journal of Molluscan Studies 77: 273-308
External links
*
Worldwide Mollusc Species Data Base: Raphitomidae*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3717341
Raphitomidae
Gastropod genera