Serpulorbis
Encyclopedia
Serpulorbis is a genus
of sea snail
s known as worm shells or worm snails. These are marine
gastropod molluscs in the family Vermetidae
, the wormsnails. Unlike some other vermetids, the species in this genus have no operculum
.
Serpulorbis 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 the calcareous tubes of certain marine worms, for example worms in the polychaete
family Serpulidae
.
(WoRMS), the following species with valid names are included within the genus Serpulorbis :
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 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 known as worm shells or worm snails. These 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 Vermetidae
Vermetidae
Vermetidae, common name the worm snails or worm shells, is a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha....
, the wormsnails. Unlike some other vermetids, the species in this genus have no 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...
.
Serpulorbis snails have shells which are long and irregular. They do not have regular coiling like that of a typical gastropod shell
Gastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
, and they are usually cemented onto a hard surface. Because of all this, the shells resemble the calcareous tubes of certain marine worms, for example worms in the polychaete
Polychaete
The Polychaeta or polychaetes are a class of annelid worms, generally marine. Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made of chitin. Indeed, polychaetes are sometimes referred to as bristle worms. More than 10,000...
family Serpulidae
Serpulidae
Serpulidae is a family of sessile, tube-building annelid worms in the class Polychaeta. The members of this family differ from the sabellid tube worms in that they have a specialized operculum that blocks the entrance of their tubes when they withdraw into the tubes. In addition, serpulids secrete...
.
Species
According to the World Register of Marine SpeciesWorld Register of Marine Species
The World Register of Marine Species is a database that hopes to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialists on each group of organism. These taxonomists control the quality of the...
(WoRMS), the following species with valid names are included within the genus Serpulorbis :
- Serpulorbis aotearoicusSerpulorbis aotearoicusSerpulorbis aotearoicus is a species of sea snail, a worm snail or worm shell, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Vermetidae, the worm snails.-Bibliography:...
Morton, 1951 - Serpulorbis arenariusSerpulorbis arenariusSerpulorbis arenarius is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Vermetidae, the worm snails or worm shells....
(Linnaeus, 1767) - Serpulorbis colubrinusSerpulorbis colubrinusSerpulorbis colubrinus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Vermetidae, the worm snails or worm shells....
(Röding, 1798) - Serpulorbis decussatusSerpulorbis decussatusSerpulorbis decussatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Vermetidae, the worm snails or worm shells....
(GmelinJohann Friedrich GmelinJohann Friedrich Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist and malacologist.- Education :Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp Friedrich Gmelin in 1748 in Tübingen...
, 1791) - decussate wormsnail - Serpulorbis inopertusSerpulorbis inopertusSerpulorbis inopertus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Vermetidae, the worm snails or worm shells....
(Rüppell & Leuckart, 1830) - Serpulorbis natalensisSerpulorbis natalensisSerpulorbis natalensis, common name the solitary worm shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Vermetidae, the worm snails or worm shells....
Mörch, 1862 - Serpulorbis riiseiSerpulorbis riiseiSerpulorbis riisei is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Vermetidae, the worm snails or worm shells....
(Mörch, 1862) - Serpulorbis sipho (Lamarck, 1818)
- Serpulorbis squamigerusSerpulorbis squamigerusSerpulorbis squamigerus, common name the scaled wormsnail, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Vermetidae, the worm snails.This worm snail lives in the Eastern Pacific Ocean....
(CarpenterPhillip Pearsall CarpenterPhilip Pearsall Carpenter Rev. Dr. , who in 1841, was ordained Presbyterian minister in England, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in 1860, and whose field work as a malacologist or conchologist in North America is still well regarded today...
, 1856) - scaled wormsnail - Serpulorbis squamolineatusSerpulorbis squamolineatusSerpulorbis squamolineatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Vermetidae, the worm snails or worm shells....
Petuch, 2002 - Serpulorbis zelandicusSerpulorbis zelandicusSerpulorbis zelandicus is a species of sea snail, a worm snail or worm shell, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Vermetidae, the worm snails.-References:...
(QuoyJean René Constant QuoyJean René Constant Quoy was a French zoologist.Along with Joseph Paul Gaimard he served as naturalist aboard La Coquille under Louis Isidore Duperrey during its circumnavigation of the globe , and the Astrolabe under the command of Jules Dumont d'Urville...
and GaimardJoseph Paul GaimardJoseph Paul Gaimard was a French naval surgeon and naturalist.Along with Jean René Constant Quoy he served as naturalist on the ships L'Uranie under Louis de Freycinet 1817-1820, and L'Astrolabe under Jules Dumont d'Urville 1826-1829...
, 1834) - Serpulorbis panamensis (Chenu, 1838) (species inquirenda = a species of doubtful identity needing further investigation)