Micrelenchus
Encyclopedia
Micrelenchus is a genus
of small sea snail
s that have shells with pearly interiors and an operculum
. They are marine
gastropod molluscs in the family
Trochidae
, the top snails or top shells.
The genus name has become a synonym of Cantharidus
Montfort, 1810
This genus is only known to occur in New Zealand
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of small sea snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
s that have shells with pearly interiors and an operculum
Operculum (gastropod)
The operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...
. They are 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 molluscs 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...
Trochidae
Trochidae
The Trochidae, common name top snails, are a taxonomic family of very small to large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Vetigastropoda ....
, the top snails or top shells.
The genus name has become a synonym of Cantharidus
Cantharidus
Cantharidus is a genus of sea snail, a marine gastropod molluscs of the family Trochidae, the top shells.-Species:The World Register of Marine Species includes the following species with valid names within the genus Cantharidus :...
Montfort, 1810
This genus is only known to occur in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Species
Species and subspecies within the genus Micrelenchus include:- Micrelenchus caelatus (HuttonFrederick Wollaston HuttonCaptain Frederick Wollaston Hutton, FRS, was an English scientist who applied the theory of natural selection to explain the origins and nature of the natural history of New Zealand.- Biography :...
, 1884)- Micrelenchus caelatus archibenthicolaMicrelenchus caelatus archibenthicolaMicrelenchus caelatus archibenthicola is a subspecies of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells. This subspecies is known only from Otago, New Zealand.-References:...
DellRichard DellDr Richard Kenneth Dell was a New Zealand malacologist. He was born in Auckland. As a young boy, he took an interest in shells, collecting them from the shores of Waitemata Harbour. He even managed to start a "museum" in his backyard...
, 1956 - Micrelenchus caelatus bakeriMicrelenchus caelatus bakeriMicrelenchus caelatus bakeri is a subspecies of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells. Its known distribution is limited to Fiordland, South Island, New Zealand.-References:...
Fleming, 1948 - Micrelenchus caelatus elongatusMicrelenchus caelatus elongatusMicrelenchus caelatus elongatus is a subspecies of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells. This subspecies is known only from the area of the Cook Strait, New Zealand.-References:...
(SuterHenry SuterHenry Suter was a New Zealand zoologist, naturalist, palaeontologist, and malacologist.- Biography :...
, 1897) - Micrelenchus caelatus morioriaMicrelenchus caelatus morioriaMicrelenchus caelatus morioria is a subspecies of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells. It is found in the Chatham Islands.-References:...
PowellArthur William Baden PowellDr Arthur William Baden Powell CBE was a New Zealand malacologist, naturalist and palaeontologist, a major influence in the study and classification of New Zealand molluscs through much of the twentieth century. He was known to his friends and family by his third name, "Baden".Powell was born at...
, 1933 - Micrelenchus caelatus mortenseniMicrelenchus caelatus mortenseniMicrelenchus caelatus mortenseni is a subspecies of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells. It occurs in the Southern Islands of New Zealand.-References:...
(OdhnerNils Hjalmar OdhnerNils Hjalmar Odhner was a Swedish zoologist who studied mollusks, a malacologist. During his lifetime he was professor of invertebrate zoology at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm...
, 1924)
- Micrelenchus caelatus archibenthicola
- Micrelenchus dilatatusMicrelenchus dilatatusMicrelenchus dilatatus is a species of small sea snail from New Zealand, which has a shell with a pearly interior. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top snails or top shells....
(Sowerby, 1870) - Micrelenchus festivusMicrelenchus festivusMicrelenchus festivus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails....
Marshall, 1998 - Micrelenchus micansMicrelenchus micansMicrelenchus micans is a species of small sea snail which has a shell with a pearly interior. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top snails or top shells. It is known only from Fiordland, South Island, New Zealand.-References:...
(SuterHenry SuterHenry Suter was a New Zealand zoologist, naturalist, palaeontologist, and malacologist.- Biography :...
, 1897) - Micrelenchus parcipictusMicrelenchus parcipictusMicrelenchus parcipictus is a species of small sea snail which has a shell with a pearly interior. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top snails or top shells, and is found in Otago, South Island, New Zealand.-References:...
PowellArthur William Baden PowellDr Arthur William Baden Powell CBE was a New Zealand malacologist, naturalist and palaeontologist, a major influence in the study and classification of New Zealand molluscs through much of the twentieth century. He was known to his friends and family by his third name, "Baden".Powell was born at...
, 1946 - Micrelenchus rufozonusMicrelenchus rufozonusMicrelenchus rufozonus is a species of small sea snail which has a shell with a pearly interior. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top snails or top shells. This species occurs on North Island, New Zealand.-References:...
(A. AdamsArthur Adams (zoologist)Arthur Adams was an English physician and naturalist.Adams was assistant surgeon on board H.M.S. "Actaeon" in company with HMS Samarang in the British Navy during the survey of the Malay Archipelago, the Japan Sea, Korea and China,from 1843 to 1846. He edited the Zoology of the voyage of H.M.S....
, 1853) - Micrelenchus sanguineus (Gray in Dieffenbach, 1843) - type species
- Micrelenchus sanguineus cryptusMicrelenchus sanguineus cryptusMicrelenchus sanguineus cryptus is a subspecies of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells. It is found on South Island, New Zealand.-References:...
PowellArthur William Baden PowellDr Arthur William Baden Powell CBE was a New Zealand malacologist, naturalist and palaeontologist, a major influence in the study and classification of New Zealand molluscs through much of the twentieth century. He was known to his friends and family by his third name, "Baden".Powell was born at...
, 1946
- Micrelenchus sanguineus cryptus
- Micrelenchus tenebrosusMicrelenchus tenebrosusMicrelenchus tenebrosus is a species of small sea snail found in New Zealand, which has a shell with a pearly interior. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top snails or top shells.-References:...
(A. AdamsArthur Adams (zoologist)Arthur Adams was an English physician and naturalist.Adams was assistant surgeon on board H.M.S. "Actaeon" in company with HMS Samarang in the British Navy during the survey of the Malay Archipelago, the Japan Sea, Korea and China,from 1843 to 1846. He edited the Zoology of the voyage of H.M.S....
, 1853)