Turritellidae

Turritellidae
A shell of a Turritella species
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Superfamily: Cerithioidea
Family: Turritellidae
Lovén, 1847
Genera

See text

Diversity
21 extant genera

125 extant species

Synonyms
  • Archimediellidae Starobogatov, 1982
  • Zariinae Gray, 1850

Turritellidae, with the common name "tower shells" or "tower snails", is a taxonomic family of small- to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the Sorbeoconcha clade.

They are filter feeders; this method of feeding is somewhat unusual among gastropod mollusks, but is very common in bivalves.

Shell description

The shells of turritellid species have whorls that are more convex and their apertures being more circular than it is in the auger shells, which are similarly high-spired. The columella is curved and the thin operculum has many horns.

Anatomy of the soft parts

These snails burrow into mud or sand, with their feet being relatively small.

A medium-sized sea snail in a genus India
A fossil shell of Turritella communis from a deep borehole in the Netherlands
Turritella terebra shell on display.

Taxonomy

Five subfamilies of this family were recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005):

  • Turritellinae Lovén, 1847 - synonyms: Zariinae Gray, 1850; Zeacolpini Marwick, 1971; Archimediellidae Starobogatov, 1982; Tachyrhynchinae Golikov, 1986
  • Orectospirinae Habe, 1955
  • Pareorinae Finlay & Marwick, 1937
  • Protominae Marwick, 1957
  • Vermiculariinae Dall, 1913 - synonym: Pseudomesaliidae mahmoud, 1955 (inv.)

Genera

Genera within this family include:

Turritellinae
Orectospirinae
Pareorinae
  • † Batillona Finlay, 1927
  • Pareora Marwick, 1931
Protominae
  • Protoma Baird, 1870 - synonym: Protomella Thiele, 1929)
Vermiculariinae
Other
  • Armatus Golikov, 1986
  • † Colposigma Finlay & Marwick, 1937
  • Mesalia Gray, 1847
  • Neohaustator Ida, 1952
  • † Palmerella Allmon 1996
  • † Tropicolpus Marwick, 1931

Palaeontological locations

Main article: Turritellenplatte
Turritella from the Pleistocene of Sicily.
  • The Turritellenplatte of Ermingen ("Erminger Turritellenplatte" near Ulm, Germany) is situated in the northern part of the North Alpine Foreland Basin (NAFB) and is of interest for its abundance of Turritella turris gastropod shells within sedimentary deposits. The fauna of the gastropod-rich sandstone reflects mainly towards near-coastal and shallow marine conditions. Petrographical and palaeontological data allow for a correlation with this area and the Burdigalian age (Lower Miocene epoch). Based on the Sr-isotope composition of shark teeth in the area, the age of the area is about 18,5 Ma.