Eocypraeidae
Encyclopedia
Eocypraeidae is a small family
of large sea snail
s, marine
gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cypraeoidea
, the cowries and cowry allies.
The family Eocypraeidae consists mainly of fossil species, except for two species: Sphaerocypraea incomparabilis Briano, 1993 (regarded as valid) and an as yet undescribed species found in the southern Atlantic.
In 1963, a fresh shell
of what was subsequently named Sphaerocypraea incomparabilis was dredged up by a Soviet trawler in the Gulf of Aden
. There are currently (2009) only six known specimens of this shell in various collections.
this family belonged to the tribe Eocypraeini in the subfamily Ovulinae within the family Ovulidae
.
e, shell
and animal morphology
and molecular phylogeny research of the 16S ribosomal RNA
gene
.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of 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 molluscs in the superfamily Cypraeoidea
Cypraeoidea
Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies, is a superfamily of sea snails, marine gastropods included in the clade Littorinimorpha. This superfamily was previously called Cypraeacea and was named by Rafinesque in 1815.-Shell description:...
, the cowries and cowry allies.
The family Eocypraeidae consists mainly of fossil species, except for two species: Sphaerocypraea incomparabilis Briano, 1993 (regarded as valid) and an as yet undescribed species found in the southern Atlantic.
In 1963, a fresh shell
Gastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
of what was subsequently named Sphaerocypraea incomparabilis was dredged up by a Soviet trawler in the Gulf of Aden
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....
. There are currently (2009) only six known specimens of this shell in various collections.
2005 taxonomy
According to the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005)Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005)
The taxonomy of the Gastropoda as it was revised by Philippe Bouchet and Jean-Pierre Rocroi is currently the most up-to-date overall system for classifying gastropod mollusks...
this family belonged to the tribe Eocypraeini in the subfamily Ovulinae within the family Ovulidae
Ovulidae
Ovulidae, common names the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries, is a family of small to large predatory or parasitic sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies.-Distribution:...
.
2007 taxonomy
Fehse (2007) has raised the tribe Eocypraeini to the status of the family Eocypraeidae, based on morphological research of the radulaRadula
The radula is an anatomical structure that is used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared rather inaccurately to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus...
e, shell
Mollusc shell
The mollusc shell is typically a calcareous exoskeleton which encloses, supports and protects the soft parts of an animal in the phylum Mollusca, which includes snails, clams, tusk shells, and several other classes...
and animal morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
and molecular phylogeny research of the 16S ribosomal RNA
16S ribosomal RNA
16S ribosomal RNA is a component of the 30S subunit of prokaryotic ribosomes. It is approximately 1.5kb in length...
gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
.
Genera
Genera within the family Eocypraeidae include:- † Apiocypraea Schilder, 1925
- † Apiocypraea davidi (Fontannes, 1880)
- † Apiocypraea parvoastensis (Sacco, 1894)
- † Apiocypraea spatiosa Fehse, 2003
- † Eocypraea Cossmann, 1903 - It is extinct since the end of the EoceneEoceneThe Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
. This is the type genus of the family. - Sphaerocypraea Schilder, 1927
- Sphaerocypraea incomparabilis Briano, 1993
