Atlantidae

Last updated

Atlantidae
Temporal range: Cretaceous–Recent
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Cretaceous-Recent [1]
Atlanta01.jpg
Drawing of Atlanta sp.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Superfamily: Pterotracheoidea
Family: Atlantidae
Rang, 1829
Type genus
Atlanta
Lesueur, 1817
Genera

See text

Atlantidae is a family of sea snails, holoplanktonic gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha.

Contents

According to taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) the family Atlantidae has no subfamilies.

Description

The Atlantidae is a group of holoplanktonic gastropods, which all demonstrate a strong adaptation to pelagic life, in the form of a lenticular, laterally flattened, aragonitic shell, the surface of which is further enlarged by the presence of a wide, and very thin and fragile, double-walled keel. [1] The apex is on the right side of the shell, the umbilicus on the left. [1] For the living animal the enlargement of the shell's surface serves 'to increase stabilization during swimming and sinking'. [1] This phenomenon results in the occurrence of superficially very similar adult shells in separate species, whereas the larval shells may be utterly different. [1]

Their body size is microscopic with a shell diameter of less than 1 cm. The foot has evolved into a muscular swimming fin. Their swimming fin extends anteriorly beneath their head. They swim with their ventral part upward through undulation of their swimming fin.

The shell is coiled dextrally (i.e. clockwise). The thin, double-walled keel of the shell extends outward from the last shell whorl. The apex of the shell is found on the right side, the umbilicus on the left side. The shell and keel can be calcareous (genus Atlanta), or composed exclusively of conchiolin (genus Oxygyrus), or the shell can be calcareous and its keel composed of conchiolin (genus Protatlanta). The snails of this family can retract into their shell and close it off with a cartilaginous, flexible operculum.

Genera

Genera in the family Atlantidae include:

Recent Atlantidae, in the present concept, comprise three genera, two of which, Oxygyrus Benson, 1835, and Protatlanta Tesch, 1908, are considered monospecific. [1] In Protatlanta, however, a few additional fossil species have been described. [1] Both genera are characterised by partially uncalcified (conchiolin) shell portions. [1] Additional fossil genera considered to belong in the Atlantidae are Bellerophina d'Orbigny, 1843 (Cretaceous), Eoatlanta Cossmann, 1888 (Paleocene-Eocene) and Mioatlanta di Geronimo, 1974 (Miocene). [1] Only few Atlanta species are known from the fossil record, the oldest one being Atlanta arenularia Gougerot & Braillon, 1965 is from the Bartonian of the Paris Basin, which differs considerably from typical Atlanta by its cornucopia shape. [1]

Ecology

Atlantids are negatively buoyant. During the day, they have to swim to maintain their position. At night they secrete strands of buoyant mucus to which they attach themselves. They are active predator locating their prey visually.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea butterfly</span> Suborder of molluscs

Sea butterflies, scientific name Thecosomata, are a taxonomic suborder of small pelagic swimming sea snails. They are holoplanktonic opisthobranch gastropod mollusks. Most Thecosomata have some form of calcified shell, although it is often very light and / or transparent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limacinidae</span> Family of gastropods

The Limacinidae are a family of small sea snails, pteropods, pelagic marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Thecosomata.

<i>Limacina</i> Genus of gastropods

Limacina is a genus of swimming predatory sea snails commonly known as sea butterflies in the family Limacinidae. This genus contains some of the world's most abundant gastropod species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cymbuliidae</span> Family of gastropods

Cymbuliidae is a family of pelagic sea snails or "sea butterflies", marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cymbulioidea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potamididae</span> Family of gastropods

Potamididae, common name potamidids are a family of small to large brackish water snails that live on mud flats, mangroves and similar habitats. They are amphibious gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cerithioidea.

<i>Atlanta</i> (gastropod) Genus of gastropods

Atlanta is a genus of pelagic marine gastropod molluscs in the family Atlantidae. They are sometimes called heteropods.

<i>Carinaria</i> Genus of gastropods

Carinaria is a genus of medium-sized floating sea snails, pelagic gastropod molluscs in the family Carinariidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pterotracheidae</span> Family of gastropods

Pterotracheidae is a family of medium-sized to large floating sea snails, pelagic gastropod molluscs. They are in the superfamily Pterotracheoidea along with two other similar pelagic families, the Atlantidae and the Carinariidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marginellidae</span> Family of sea snails

Marginellidae, or the margin shells, are a taxonomic family of small, often colorful, sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Neogastropoda.

<i>Crassispira</i> Genus of gastropods

Crassispira is a genus of small predatory sea snails with narrow, high-spired shells, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Pseudomelatomidae. They first appeared in the fossil record approximately 48.6 million years ago during the Eocene epoch, and still exist in the present day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pterotracheoidea</span> Superfamily of molluscs

The Pterotracheoidea is, according to the Taxonomy of the Gastropoda, a taxonomic superfamily of sea snails or sea slugs, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha. They are commonly called heteropods or sea elephants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavoliniidae</span> Family of gastropods

The family Cavoliniidae is a taxonomic group of small floating sea snails, pelagic marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks.

<i>Atlanta brunnea</i> Species of gastropod

Atlanta brunnea is a species of sea snail, a holoplanktonic marine gastropod mollusk in the family Atlantidae.

<i>Atlanta echinogyra</i> Species of gastropod

Atlanta echinogyra is a species of sea snail, a holoplanktonic marine gastropod mollusk in the family Atlantidae.

<i>Oxygyrus</i> Genus of gastropods

Oxygyrus keraudrenii is a species of sea snail, a holoplanktonic marine gastropod mollusk in the family Atlantidae.

<i>Protatlanta souleyeti</i> Species of gastropod

Protatlanta souleyeti is a species of sea snail, a holoplanktonic marine gastropod mollusk in the family Atlantidae.

<i>Protatlanta</i> Genus of gastropods

Atlanta is a genus of pelagic marine gastropod molluscs in the family Atlantidae.

<i>Turricula</i> (gastropod) Genus of gastropods

Turricula is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Clavatulidae.

Carinaria galea, common name the helmeted carinaria, is a species of sea snail, a marine pelagic marine gastropod mollusc in the family Carinariidae. It was first described in 1835 by William Henry Benson, an amateur malacologist in the Bengal Civil Service.

<i>Minaselates</i> Species of gastropod

Minaselates paradoxa is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the subfamily Epiphragmophorinae.

References

This article incorporates CC BY-3.0 text from the reference [1]

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Janssen A. W. (2007). "Holoplanktonic Mollusca (Gastropoda: Pterotracheoidea, Janthinoidea, Thecosomata and Gymnosomata) from the Pliocene of Pangasinan (Luzon, Philippines)". Scripta Geologica . 135. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.