Iolaea
Encyclopedia
Iolaea is a genus
of small sea snail
s, pyramidellid
gastropod mollusks in the in the tribe Chrysallidini withon the family
Pyramidellidae
.
The genus was originally described as Iole
A. Adams 1860, but since this name was preoccupied by a bird genus (Blyth, 1844) the name was emended to Iolae A. Adams 1867.
He further comments: "This genus is founded upon a deep-water shell, of which, unfortunately, I possess but a single specimen. It most nearly resembles a perforate, elongated, sulcate Odostomia
, without ant tooth or fold on the inner lip. I am unable to refer it to any genus, and consequently give it generic rank myself. The practice of throwing a doubtful form into any genus seems to me to retard the progress of science, - shirking a difficulty, and confusing the mind of the student. The number of genera is no more moment to the naturalist than the number of species, provided they each represent a particular type of form. The natural position of Iole is, perhaps, between Monoptygma and Menestho
."
Adams description from 1867 is as follows: "Testa tenuis, turbinato-turrita, umbilicata, seu rimata; anfractibus sculptis, convexis, transversim liratis; apertura ovata; plica parietali obsoleta aut celata."
A. Adams (1867) comments further: "I established this little group under the name of Iole in the 'annals' for 1860, founding my diagnosis on a single specimen. Since then, however, I have succeeded in obtaining both I. scitula
and another species, I. amabilis, in greater abundance; and I find that on breaking some examples the parietal plica exists, but it is entirely concealed. In I. amabilis it is conspicuous externally. The description and natural position of the genus, however, I still consider correct. I have altered the termination of the word Iole, as there is a genus of birds under that name. The group differs from Oscilla in being thin and turbinate, with the axis more or less perforated, and with the parietal fold either obsolete or entirely concealed".
The original description of the type species is (A. Adams 1860): "I. testa subulato-turrita, profunde umbilicata, alba, solidiuscula; anfractibus sex, convexiusculis, transversim sulcatis, sulcis subdistantibus, interstitiis longitudinaliter concinne striatis; apertura oblonga, antice rotundata, postice acuminata; labio simplici; labro margine acuto. Hab. Straits of Korea; dredged from 63 fathoms."
sensu lato, they are most likely ectoparasites. It has been reported living on the serpulid polychaete Pomatoleios kraussi (Barird) which is likely the host.
Hori & Kuroda (2001) described spermatophore
s from the species Iolaea scitula
. Spermatophores are also known from other members of the Chrysallidinae.
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 sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
s, pyramidellid
Pyramidellidae
Pyramidellidae, common name the pyram family, or pyramid shells, is a voluminous taxonomic family of mostly small and minute ectoparasitic sea snails, marine heterobranch gastropod molluscs or micromolluscs....
gastropod mollusks in the in the tribe Chrysallidini withon the family
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...
Pyramidellidae
Pyramidellidae
Pyramidellidae, common name the pyram family, or pyramid shells, is a voluminous taxonomic family of mostly small and minute ectoparasitic sea snails, marine heterobranch gastropod molluscs or micromolluscs....
.
The genus was originally described as Iole
Iole (genus)
Iole is a genus of bulbuls, songbirds in the family Pycnonotidae. They are native to tropical eastern Asia, from India to China and south through Southeast Asia to northern Indonesia.It includes the following species:* Olive Bulbul, Iole virescens...
A. Adams 1860, but since this name was preoccupied by a bird genus (Blyth, 1844) the name was emended to Iolae A. Adams 1867.
Shell description
The original description (A. Adams 1860) of the genus Iole (later emended to Iolaea because the name was preoccupied) is: "Testa turrito-subulata, umbilicata; anfractibus convexiusculis, transversim sulcatis, sulcis subdistantibus, interstitiis longitudinaliter concinne striatis. Apertura oblonga, postice acuminata, antice integra, rotundata; labio libero, simplici, acuto."He further comments: "This genus is founded upon a deep-water shell, of which, unfortunately, I possess but a single specimen. It most nearly resembles a perforate, elongated, sulcate Odostomia
Odostomia
Odostomia is the most speciose genus of minute sea snails, pyramidellid gastropod mollusks. This genus is currently placed in the family Pyramidellidae in the subfamily Odostomiinae. There are several hundred species in the genus...
, without ant tooth or fold on the inner lip. I am unable to refer it to any genus, and consequently give it generic rank myself. The practice of throwing a doubtful form into any genus seems to me to retard the progress of science, - shirking a difficulty, and confusing the mind of the student. The number of genera is no more moment to the naturalist than the number of species, provided they each represent a particular type of form. The natural position of Iole is, perhaps, between Monoptygma and Menestho
Menestho
Menestho is a genus of very small sea snails, pyramidellid gastropod mollusks, or micromollusks. -Shell description:The original description by Möller is brief and in Latin: "Animal pede elongato, angusto; ore simplici, membrana linguali destituto; tentaculis brevioribus, crassiusculis, oculos...
."
Adams description from 1867 is as follows: "Testa tenuis, turbinato-turrita, umbilicata, seu rimata; anfractibus sculptis, convexis, transversim liratis; apertura ovata; plica parietali obsoleta aut celata."
A. Adams (1867) comments further: "I established this little group under the name of Iole in the 'annals' for 1860, founding my diagnosis on a single specimen. Since then, however, I have succeeded in obtaining both I. scitula
Iolaea scitula
Iolaea scitula is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pyramidellidae, the pyrams and their allies.-Distribution:This marine species occurs off China, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands.-References:...
and another species, I. amabilis, in greater abundance; and I find that on breaking some examples the parietal plica exists, but it is entirely concealed. In I. amabilis it is conspicuous externally. The description and natural position of the genus, however, I still consider correct. I have altered the termination of the word Iole, as there is a genus of birds under that name. The group differs from Oscilla in being thin and turbinate, with the axis more or less perforated, and with the parietal fold either obsolete or entirely concealed".
The original description of the type species is (A. Adams 1860): "I. testa subulato-turrita, profunde umbilicata, alba, solidiuscula; anfractibus sex, convexiusculis, transversim sulcatis, sulcis subdistantibus, interstitiis longitudinaliter concinne striatis; apertura oblonga, antice rotundata, postice acuminata; labio simplici; labro margine acuto. Hab. Straits of Korea; dredged from 63 fathoms."
Ecology
Little is known about the biology of the members of this genus. As is true of most members of the PyramidellidaePyramidellidae
Pyramidellidae, common name the pyram family, or pyramid shells, is a voluminous taxonomic family of mostly small and minute ectoparasitic sea snails, marine heterobranch gastropod molluscs or micromolluscs....
sensu lato, they are most likely ectoparasites. It has been reported living on the serpulid polychaete Pomatoleios kraussi (Barird) which is likely the host.
Hori & Kuroda (2001) described spermatophore
Spermatophore
A spermatophore or sperm ampulla is a capsule or mass created by males of various animal species, containing spermatozoa and transferred in entirety to the female's ovipore during copulation...
s from the species Iolaea scitula
Iolaea scitula
Iolaea scitula is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pyramidellidae, the pyrams and their allies.-Distribution:This marine species occurs off China, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands.-References:...
. Spermatophores are also known from other members of the Chrysallidinae.
Species
Species within the genus Iolaea include:- Iolaea amazonica van Aartsen & Wesselingh, 2005
- Iolaea dubiaIolaea dubiaIolaea dubia is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pyramidellidae, the pyrams and their allies.-External links:*...
Golikov & Kussaki, 1967 - Iolaea eucosmiaIolaea eucosmiaIolaea eucosmia is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pyramidellidae, the pyrams and their allies. -Description:...
Dall & Bartsch, 1909 - Iolaea neofelixoidesIolaea neofelixoidesIolaea neofelixoides is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pyramidellidae, the pyrams and their allies.-Distribution:This species occurs in the following locations:* European waters * Mediterranean Sea...
(Nomura, 1936) - Iolaea scitulaIolaea scitulaIolaea scitula is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pyramidellidae, the pyrams and their allies.-Distribution:This marine species occurs off China, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands.-References:...
(A. Adams, 1860) - type species - Iolaea sculptilis (A. Adams, 1861)
