Vermetidae
| Vermetidae | |
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| File:Serpulorbis squamigerus.jpg | |
| A live individual of Thylacodes squamigerus in situ | |
| Scientific classification | |
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| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
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| Superfamily: |
Rafinesque, 1815
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| Family: |
Vermetidae
Rafinesque, 1815
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| Genera | |
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See text. |
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The Vermetidae, the worm snails or worm shells, are a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha.[1] The shells of species in the family Vermetidae are extremely irregular, and do not resemble the average snail shell, hence the common name "worm shells" or "worm snails".
These snails usually grow cemented onto a hard surface, or cemented together in colonies.
Contents
Shell description
These snails do not have typical regularly coiled gastropod shells; instead, they have very irregular elongated tubular shells which are moulded to, and cemented to, a surface of attachment such as a rock or another shell. In the adult, the apertural part of the shell is usually free, with the opening directed upward. Some species have an operculum and some do not. Damaged sections of the shell can be sealed off by calcareous septa when necessary.
Some vermetids are solitary, whereas others live in colonies, partially cemented together. The shells of species within this family vary greatly and can sometimes be extremely challenging to identify.
Comparison with annelid worm tubes
The empty calcareous tubes of certain marine annelid tube worms, for example the Serpulidae, can sometimes be casually misidentified as empty vermetid shells, and vice versa. The difference is that vermetid shells are shiny inside and have three shell layers, whereas the annelid worm tubes are dull inside and have only two shell layers.
Taxonomy
2005 taxonomy
The Vermetidae were recognized as the only family in the superfamily Vermetoidea in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) within the clade Littorinimorpha.
The following two subfamilies were recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005):[1]
Family Vermetidae Rafinesque, 1815
- Subfamily Vermetinae Rafinesque, 1815
- Subfamily Dendropomatinae Bandel & Kowalke, 1997
This classification of the Vermetoidea has been somewhat controversial. Studies, based on sperm ultrastructure,[2] and on molecular data[3] clearly place it within the clade Littorinimorpha. However, there are still a number of authors[4][5][6] that place it within the superfamily Cerithioidea. The genera Campanile and Thylacodes form a clade that is sister to the Cerithioidea, as shown in a study by Lydeard et al. (2002).[7]
2006 taxonomy
Bandel (2006)[8] established a new subfamily Laxispirinae as one of three subfamilies he recognized within the Vermetidae:
- Subfamily Vermetinae Rafinesque, 1815
- Subfamily † Laxispirinae Bandel, 2006[8]
- Subfamily Dendropomatinae Bandel & Kowalke, 1997
Genera
Genera within the family Vermetidae include:
Vermetinae
- Vermetus Daudin, 1800 - type genus[9]
- Cerithiovermetus Bandel, 2006[10]
† Laxispirinae
Dendropomatinae
- Dendropoma Mörch, 1861 - type genus of the subfamily[11]
Subfamily ?
- Bivonia Gray, 1842[12]
- Eualetes Keen, 1971[13]
- Novastoa Finlay, 1926[14]
- Petaloconchus I. Lea, 1843[15]
- Spiroglyptus Daudin, 1800[16]
- Stephopoma Mörch, 1860[17]
- Thylacodes Guettard, 1770, = Serpulorbis Sassi, 1827[18]
- Tripsycha Keen, 1961
- Genera brought into synonymy
- Siphonium Gray, 1850: synonym of Dendropoma Mörch, 1861
- Thylaeodus Mörch, 1860:[19] synonym of Vermetus Daudin, 1800
- Vermiculus Lister, 1688: synonym of Vermicularia Lamarck, 1799
References
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- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Bandel K. (2006). "Families of the Cerithioidea and related superfamilies (Palaeo-Caenogastropoda; Mollusca) from the Triassic to the Recent characterized by protoconch morphology - including the description of new taxa". Freiberger Forschungshefte C 511: 59-138. PDF.
- ↑ Gofas, S. (2009). Vermetus Daudin, 1800. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138652 on 2010-08-05
- ↑ WoRMS (2009). Cerithiovermetus. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=394145 on 2010-08-05
- ↑ WoRMS (2009). Dendropoma Mörch, 1861. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2009) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138649 on 2010-08-05
- ↑ WoRMS (2010). Bivonia Gray, 1842. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=225183 on 2010-08-05
- ↑ WoRMS (2009). Eualetes. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=397074 on 2010-08-05
- ↑ WoRMS (2009). Novastoa Finlay, 1926. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=205769 on 2010-08-05
- ↑ WoRMS (2009). Petaloconchus Lea, 1843. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2009) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138650 on 2010-08-05
- ↑ "Spiroglyptus Daudin, 1800". ITIS, accessed 6 August 2010.
- ↑ WoRMS (2009). Stephopoma Mörch, 1860. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=224610 on 2010-08-05
- ↑ Bieler, R.; Rosenberg, G. (2015). Thylacodes aotearoicus (J. E. Morton, 1951). In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=598652 on 2015-07-17
- ↑ WoRMS (2009). Thylaeodus. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=146458 on 2010-08-05
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vermetidae. |
- Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
- R. Tucker Abbott, 1986. Seashells of North America, St. Martin's Press, New York
- Vaught, K.C. (1989). A classification of the living Mollusca. American Malacologists: Melbourne, FL (USA). ISBN 0-915826-22-4. XII, 195 pp.
