Stephopoma

Taxobox
name = "Stephopoma"


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Mollusca
classis = Gastropoda
subclassis = Orthogastropoda
superordo = Caenogastropoda
ordo = Sorbeoconcha
subordo = Hypsogastropoda
familia = Siliquariidae
genus = "Stephopoma"
genus_authority = Mörch, 1860
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = See text.

"Stephopoma" is a genus of sea snails known as "worm shells" or "worm snails". These are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Siliquariidae.

"Stephopoma" snails have shells which are long and irregular. They do not have regular coiling like that of a typical gastropod shell, and they are usually cemented onto a hard surface. Because of all this, the shells resemble those of certain marine worms.

hell description

The shell is elongated, a loosely coiled spiral tube, without septa, living in communal masses. The animal has a well developed operculum, set with hair-like processes. The gills may be protruding to operate as a sweeping net.

pecies within the genus "Stephopoma"

* "Stephopoma abrolhosense"
* "Stephopoma levispinosum"
* "Stephopoma mammillatus"
* "Stephopoma myrakeenae"
* "Stephopoma nucleocostata"
* "Stephopoma nucleogranosum"
* "Stephopoma pennatum"
* "Stephopoma roseum" (Quoy and Gaimard, 1834)
* "Stephopoma tricuspe"

*

References

* [http://www.gastropods.com/Taxon_pages/Family_SILIQUARIIDAE_SILIQUARIINAE.html]
* Powell A. W. B., "New Zealand Mollusca", William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1