Fulgorariinae
Encyclopedia
The subfamily Fulgorariinae contains sea snail
s, marine
gastropod mollusks in the family
Volutidae
. They are characterized by an uniserial radula
with tricuspid teeth. Lateral cusps are thickest along the lateral edge, broader and generally longer than the central cusps. The protoconch
is large or small, papilliform and often tilted on its vertical axis. Shells are fusiform
and show numerous irregular columellar plaits.
between 100 and 300 m on mud and shell grit
substrate. Rare bathyal
species are brought up from 800 to 1000 m. The distribution of the Fulgorariinae extends along the East coast of Asia
, from throughout Japan
except the Okhotsk Sea, the Pacific coast, the Japan Sea, the East China Sea
and the South China Sea down to the coast of Vietnam
.
, but possible ancestors of recent species only appeared during the Pliocene
only with an abrupt increase after the Late Pliocene, in which almost all the recent species were established.
Though recent species are now restricted to the Asian Margin of the Pacific Ocean
, from Hokkaido
, Japan
to Vietnam
, fossil studies show that species belonging to that subfamily occurred along both the eastern and the western margins of the northern Pacific Ocean. Five taxa, related to the subgenus Psephaea, are described from the Paleocene
strata
of California
, from the lower Miocene
to the Pliocene
.
, the absence of planktotrophic development (in most groups) does not allow exchange of genetic material between geographically separate populations. Thus, local inbreeding
involves a high tendency to speciation
.
Genera and subgenera within the Fulgorariinae:
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
s, marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
gastropod mollusks in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Volutidae
Volutidae
Volutidae, common name volutes, are a taxonomic family of predatory sea snails that range in size from 9 mm to over 500 mm, marine gastropod mollusks...
. They are characterized by an uniserial radula
Radula
The radula is an anatomical structure that is used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared rather inaccurately to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus...
with tricuspid teeth. Lateral cusps are thickest along the lateral edge, broader and generally longer than the central cusps. The protoconch
Protoconch
A protoconch is an embryonic or larval shell of some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod...
is large or small, papilliform and often tilted on its vertical axis. Shells are fusiform
Fusiform
Fusiform means having a spindle-like shape that is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends.* Aneurysms can be classified as saccular or fusiform...
and show numerous irregular columellar plaits.
Distribution
Most of the species thrive in the benthic zoneBenthic zone
The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. Organisms living in this zone are called benthos. They generally live in close relationship with the substrate bottom; many such...
between 100 and 300 m on mud and shell grit
Shell grit
Shell grit is grit from shells. It is used for, among other things, as source of calcium for birds.Other uses include protecting plants from slugs or snails and in aquariums.-External links:...
substrate. Rare bathyal
Bathyal zone
The bathyal zone or bathypelagic – from Greek βαθύς , deep – is that part of the pelagic zone that extends from a depth of 1000 to 4000 metres below the ocean surface. It lies between the mesopelagic above, and the abyssopelagic below. The average temperature hovers at about 39°F...
species are brought up from 800 to 1000 m. The distribution of the Fulgorariinae extends along the East coast of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, from throughout Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
except the Okhotsk Sea, the Pacific coast, the Japan Sea, the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
and the South China Sea down to the coast of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
Fossil History
Some fulgorariid fossils can be traced back to the OligoceneOligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
, but possible ancestors of recent species only appeared during the Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
only with an abrupt increase after the Late Pliocene, in which almost all the recent species were established.
Though recent species are now restricted to the Asian Margin of the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, from Hokkaido
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, fossil studies show that species belonging to that subfamily occurred along both the eastern and the western margins of the northern Pacific Ocean. Five taxa, related to the subgenus Psephaea, are described from the Paleocene
Paleocene
The Paleocene or Palaeocene, the "early recent", is a geologic epoch that lasted from about . It is the first epoch of the Palaeogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era...
strata
Stratum
In geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, from the lower Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
to the Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
.
Systematic arrangement
In VolutidaeVolutidae
Volutidae, common name volutes, are a taxonomic family of predatory sea snails that range in size from 9 mm to over 500 mm, marine gastropod mollusks...
, the absence of planktotrophic development (in most groups) does not allow exchange of genetic material between geographically separate populations. Thus, local inbreeding
Inbreeding
Inbreeding is the reproduction from the mating of two genetically related parents. Inbreeding results in increased homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is...
involves a high tendency to speciation
Speciation
Speciation is the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise. The biologist Orator F. Cook seems to have been the first to coin the term 'speciation' for the splitting of lineages or 'cladogenesis,' as opposed to 'anagenesis' or 'phyletic evolution' occurring within lineages...
.
Genera and subgenera within the Fulgorariinae:
- Genus FulgorariaFulgorariaFulgoraria is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Volutidae.-Species:Species within the genus Fulgoraria include:Subgenus Fulgoraria Schumacher, 1817* Fulgoraria ericarum Douté, 1997...
Schumacher, 1817- Subgenus FulgorariaFulgorariaFulgoraria is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Volutidae.-Species:Species within the genus Fulgoraria include:Subgenus Fulgoraria Schumacher, 1817* Fulgoraria ericarum Douté, 1997...
s.s. - Subgenus Kurodina Rehder, 1969
- Subgenus Musashia Hayashi, 1966
- Subgenus Nipponomelon Shikama, 1967
- Subgenus Psephaea Crosse, 1871
- Subgenus Fulgoraria
- Genus SaotomeaSaotomeaSaotomea is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Volutidae.-Species:Species within the genus Saotomea include:Subgenus Saotomea Bail & Chino, 2009* Saotomea minima...
Habe, 1943- Subgenus SaotomeaSaotomeaSaotomea is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Volutidae.-Species:Species within the genus Saotomea include:Subgenus Saotomea Bail & Chino, 2009* Saotomea minima...
s.s. - Subgenus Bondarevia Bail & Chino, 2010
- Subgenus Saotomea
- Genus TenebrincolaTenebrincolaTenebrincola is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Volutidae. It is a Western Pacific abyssal genus, which is defined by a very thin, smooth shell, a radula of the fulgorarid type, and the presence of an operculum...
Harasewych & Kantor, 1991