| Melanopsis Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| | |
| A live Melanopsis praemorsa | |
| | |
| Five views of a shell of Melanopsis buccinoidea | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Family: | Melanopsidae |
| Genus: | Melanopsis Férussac, 1807 [1] |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Melanopsis is a genus of freshwater snails with a gill and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Melanopsidae. [2]
The genus first appeared in the Cretaceous. [3]
Melanopsis is the type genus of the family Melanopsidae. [4]
These snails are found in southern Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor, New Caledonia and New Zealand. [5]
Their shells are ovate, with a short spire, and a large elongated body whorl. The outer lip of the aperture is thin, but the inner lip has a smooth parietal callus, thickened into a pad over the parietal wall. [5]
This section's factual accuracy is disputed .(July 2012) |
Species within the genus Melanopsis include:
(Extinct taxa indicated by a dagger, †.)