| Kelletia Temporal range: Late Oligocene to Recent, | |
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| Two live Kelletia kelletii | |
| Scientific classification | |
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| Genus: | Kelletia |
| Type species | |
| Fusus kelletiiForbes, 1850 | |
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See text. | |
Kelletia is a genus of large sea snails, whelks, a marine gastropod molluscs in the whelk family Austrosiphonidae. [2] [3] [4] [5]
One extant species Kelletia lischkei occurs in the Sea of Japan off the coasts of Japan and South Korea, and another K. kelletii is found of along the coasts of California, United States and in the Baja California, Mexico. [6] [7]
Fossil species are documented in Japan, [8] [9] California, [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] and Ecuador. [15]
A molecular phylogeny of Buccinidae based on the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene suggested that Kelletia is a closely related to Penion , a whelk genus with extant species distributed in waters off of New Zealand and Australia. [6] Results of a further molecular phylogenetic studies using mitochondrial genomic and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequence data re-affirmed this relationship, and also demonstrated that Kelletia and Antarctoneptunea found in the southern Pacific and Southern oceans are closely related. [2] [4] [5] The common ancestor of the three genera most likely evolved in the southern Pacific Ocean, and a lineage leading to Kelletia dispersed over millions of years up the western coast of the Americas into the northern Pacific Ocean. [4] Radulae and opercula morphology is similar between Penion and Kelletia. [16]
| Cladogram of Austrosiphonidae and Tudiclidae [4] [2] [5] [6] |
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
 | Kelletia kelletii (Forbes, 1850) [6] | Isla Asunción, Baja California, Mexico to Monterey, California, USA. |
 | Kelletia lischkei (Kuroda, T., 1938) [6] | Sea of Japan, and is found in coastal waters off of South Korea |
The Buccinidae are a very large and diverse taxonomic family of large sea snails, often known as whelks or true whelks.
Austrofusus glans is a species of medium-sized sea snail or whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.
Penion sulcatus is a species of medium-to-large predatory marine snail or whelk, commonly called the northern siphon whelk or kākara nui in Māori, belonging to the whelk family Austrosiphonidae.
Penion is a genus of large marine snails, commonly known as siphon whelks, classified within the mollusc family Austrosiphonidae.
Antarctoneptunea benthicola is a species of small-to-medium-sized predatory sea snail or whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Austrosiphonidae.
Penion chathamensis is a species of very large predatory sea snail or whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Austrosiphonidae.
Cominella is a genus of carnivorous sea snails, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Cominellidae.
Buccinulum is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the whelk family Tudiclidae.
Aeneator is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the whelk family Tudiclidae.
Cominella maculosa, common name the spotted whelk, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Cominellidae, the true whelks.
Cominella virgata is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Cominellidae.
Antarctoneptunea aurora is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Austrosiphonidae.
Antarctoneptunea is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the whelk family Austrosiphonidae.
Serratifusus is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the whelk family Austrosiphonidae.
Kelletia kelletii, common name Kellet's whelk, is a species of large sea snail, a whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the whelk family Austrosiphonidae.
Penion maximus is a species of very large predatory sea snail or whelk, commonly known as giant whelk or great whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Austrosiphonidae.
Penion mandarinus, common name the mandarin penion, southern siphon whelk or Waite's buccinum whelk, is a species of medium-to-large predatory sea snail or whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Austrosiphonidae.
Kelletia lischkei is a species of large sea snail, or whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Austrosiphonidae.
Penion proavitus is an extinct species of marine snail or whelk, belonging to the true whelk family Austrosiphonidae.
The Austrosiphonidae are a taxonomic family of large sea snails, often known as whelks.
