Scissurellidae

Taxobox
name = Scissurellidae
fossil_range = Upper Cretaceous to Recent


image_caption =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Mollusca
classis = Gastropoda
superordo = Vetigastropoda
ordo =
subordo =
superfamilia = Scissurelloidea
familia = Scissurellidae
familia_authority = Gray, 1847
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = See text.

Scissurellidae, sometimes known by the common name little slit snails, are a taxonomic family of small to minute sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs or micromolluscs in the clade Vetigastropoda (according taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).

They are all less than 6 mm in size.

Distribution

Scissurellids live world-wide in most seas, intertidal down to abyssal depths, including around hydrothermal vents.

hell description

Scissurellids are small or minute, thin, white, and varying in shape from to depressed or , with either a slit in the outer lip, or a hole just behind the aperture, and this is usually situated within a spiral groove, termed the .

ystematics

There are about 169 living described species of Scissurellidae, but the diversity of scissurellids is still far from being completely assessed (approximately 60 collected species await description). [D.L.Geiger, Eight new species of Scissurellidae and Anatomidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Vetigastropoda) from around the world, with discussion of two new senior synonyms. Zootaxa 1128: 1–33 (2006)] The monophyly of the family is questionable. [D.L.Geiger, P.Jansen. New species of Australian Scissurellidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Vetigastropoda) with remarks on Australian and Indo-Malayan species. Zootaxa 714: 1–72 (2004)] There are about twenty-five genera divided into five subfamilies [D.L.Geiger, Phylogenetic assessment of characters proposed for the generic classification of Recent Scissurellidae (Gastropoda : Vetigastropoda) with a description of one new genus and six new species from Easter Island and Australia. Molluscan Research 23(1) 21 - 83 (2003)] , including:
* "Anatoma" Fleming, 1828
* "Anatomus"
* "Incisura" Hedley, 1904
* "Maxwellella"
* "Schismope"
* "Scissurella" d'Orbigny, 1824
* "Scissurona" Iredale, 1824
* "Sinezona" Finlay, 1927
* "Sukashitrochus"
* "Sukashitrochus" Habe and Kosuge, 1964
* "Sutilizona"
* "Sutulizona"
* "Temnocinclis"
* "Temnozaga"
* "Triassurella"

References

*
* Powell A. W. B., "New Zealand Mollusca", William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
* [http://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Scissurellidae/Pages/scissurellidae_intro.htm Seashells of NSW]
* [http://zipcodezoo.com/Key/Scissurellidae_Family.asp]