| Recluzia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Recluzia lutea | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Epitonioidea |
| Family: | Epitoniidae |
| Genus: | Recluzia Petit de la Saussaye, 1853 |
| Type species | |
| Recluzia jehennei Petit de la Saussaye, 1853 | |
| Species | |
See text | |
Recluzia is a genus of neustonic sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Epitoniidae [1] , which also includes the convergently neustonic Janthina. These uncommon, yellow-brownish snails are known principally from the Indo-West Pacific province and northern Indian Ocean, though Recluzia lutea can also be found rarely in the east Pacific and Atlantic oceans. [2]
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Despite the various convergent traits between Recluzia and Janthina, they seem to have evolved to their neustonic habit independently, with the former likely being most closely related to Alexania , for their shell characteristics, or Surrepifungium and Epidendrium , for their tissue coloration, while the latter is likely most close to Alora , especially Alora terrenima for its shell's resemblance to early janthinid fossils'. Further differing them from the violet snails, Recluzia have unforked cephalic tentacles, proportionally smaller heads and snouts, teleoconch-parallel protoconch coiling axis, thinner, longer, spineless egg casings, taller shell spires and retained statocysts as adults. [2] Furthermore, they lack epipodia, free-swimming larvae with proto-floats, which instead adhere to the parent's float, one of the protoconch II whorls, having 2.2 instead of 3.2 whorls, shell outer lip sinuses and ianthinin glands. [2]