Bullata
Encyclopedia
Bullata is a genus
of small to large sea snail
s, marine
gastropod mollusks in the family Marginellidae
, the margin snails.
The shell color is a yellowish-orange to orange- or pinkish-brown, spirally banded (pl II) or with white spots (pl III). The lip is pink, yellow, or orange, darker than shell color (pl IV).
The shell surface is smooth and glossy.
The shape is elliptical to oblong or obovate, moderately to strongly shouldered (pl V bottom). The spire
is immersed or near so (pl V top). The aperture
is narrow to moderately broad, wider anteriorly. The lip is moderately strongly thickened, weakly to strongly denticulate in adults, with a distinct external varix. A siphonal notch is present but a posterior notch is absent. The parietal callus
ing is weakly to strongly developed, especially posteriorly, and is absent in type species. The columella has four continuous plications occupying less than half the aperture length. The internal whorl
s are unmodified. (pl VI/VII)
and 4 moderately heavy columellar plications which are not crowded anteriorly, serve to distinguish this group of species. This genus is restricted to the Caribbean
province, where it evolved in the Miocene
as a direct offshoot of Prunum.
Coan (1965:189) placed Cryptospyra as a subgenus of Bullata. Coovert & Coovert (1995:93) consider as distinct genus, as they have separate origins: Bullata is a direct descendant of Caribbean Prunum, whereas Cryptospira is restricted to the western Indo-Pacific
where it evolved.
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 small to large sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
s, 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 mollusks in the family Marginellidae
Marginellidae
Marginellidae, or the margin shells, are a taxonomic family of small, often colorful, sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Neogastropoda.- Taxonomy :...
, the margin snails.
Shell description
The shells of species in this genus are moderately large to very large, range size from 14 mm (Bullata largillieri, smallest species of Bullata) to 97.9 mm (largest specimen known of Bullata bullata). (pl I)The shell color is a yellowish-orange to orange- or pinkish-brown, spirally banded (pl II) or with white spots (pl III). The lip is pink, yellow, or orange, darker than shell color (pl IV).
The shell surface is smooth and glossy.
The shape is elliptical to oblong or obovate, moderately to strongly shouldered (pl V bottom). The spire
Spire (mollusc)
A spire is a descriptive term for part of the coiled shell of mollusks. The word is a convenient aid in describing shells, but it does not refer to a very precise part of shell anatomy: the spire consists of all of the whorls except for the body whorl...
is immersed or near so (pl V top). The aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
is narrow to moderately broad, wider anteriorly. The lip is moderately strongly thickened, weakly to strongly denticulate in adults, with a distinct external varix. A siphonal notch is present but a posterior notch is absent. The parietal callus
Parietal callus
A parietal callus is a feature of the shell anatomy of some groups of snails, i.e. gastropods. It is a thickened calcareous deposit which may be present on the parietal wall of the aperture of the adult shell. The parietal wall is the margin of the aperture and part of the wall of the body whorl...
ing is weakly to strongly developed, especially posteriorly, and is absent in type species. The columella has four continuous plications occupying less than half the aperture length. The internal whorl
Whorl (mollusc)
A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in of numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including Nautilus, Spirula and the large extinct subclass of cephalopods known as the...
s are unmodified. (pl VI/VII)
Remarks
The large, patterned shells with an immersed spireSpire (mollusc)
A spire is a descriptive term for part of the coiled shell of mollusks. The word is a convenient aid in describing shells, but it does not refer to a very precise part of shell anatomy: the spire consists of all of the whorls except for the body whorl...
and 4 moderately heavy columellar plications which are not crowded anteriorly, serve to distinguish this group of species. This genus is restricted to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
province, where it evolved in the Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
as a direct offshoot of Prunum.
Coan (1965:189) placed Cryptospyra as a subgenus of Bullata. Coovert & Coovert (1995:93) consider as distinct genus, as they have separate origins: Bullata is a direct descendant of Caribbean Prunum, whereas Cryptospira is restricted to the western Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
where it evolved.
Species
Species within the genus Bullata include:- Bullata analuciaeBullata analuciaeBullata analuciae is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Marginellidae, the margin snails....
de Souza & Coovert, 2001 - Bullata bullata (Born, 1778) - type species
- Bullata largillieri (Kiener, 1834)
- Bullata lilacina (Sowerby II, 1846)
- Bullata mathewsi (van Mol & Tursch, 1967)
- Bullata guerriniiBullata guerriniiBullata guerrinii is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Marginellidae, the margin snails....
de Souza & Coovert, 2001
Further reading
- Coan E. (1965). "A proposed reclassification of the Family Marginellidae". The Veliger 7(3): 184-194.
- Coovert G. & Coovert H. (1995). "Revision of the Supraspecific Classification of Marginelliform Gastropods". The NautilusThe Nautilus (journal)The Nautilus is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in malacology. Hence its scope includes all aspects of the biology, ecology, and systematics of mollusks....
109(2-3): 43-110. - Souza P. J. S. & Coovert G. A. (2001). "Revision of the Recent species of Bullata Jousseaume, 1875 (Gastropoda: Marginellidae) with the description of two new species". The NautilusThe Nautilus (journal)The Nautilus is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in malacology. Hence its scope includes all aspects of the biology, ecology, and systematics of mollusks....
115(1): 1-14. (latest generic review)