Micrelenchus caelatus caelatus
Encyclopedia
Micrelenchus caelatus is a species
of small sea snail
, a marine
gastropod mollusc in the family
Trochidae
, the top shells. It is restricted in distribution to New Zealand
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of small sea snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
, a 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 mollusc in 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...
Trochidae
Trochidae
The Trochidae, common name top snails, are a taxonomic family of very small to large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Vetigastropoda ....
, the top shells. It is restricted in distribution to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Subspecies
The following subspecies have been named:- Micrelenchus caelatus archibenthicolaMicrelenchus caelatus archibenthicolaMicrelenchus caelatus archibenthicola is a subspecies of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells. This subspecies is known only from Otago, New Zealand.-References:...
DellRichard DellDr Richard Kenneth Dell was a New Zealand malacologist. He was born in Auckland. As a young boy, he took an interest in shells, collecting them from the shores of Waitemata Harbour. He even managed to start a "museum" in his backyard...
, 1956 - Micrelenchus caelatus bakeriMicrelenchus caelatus bakeriMicrelenchus caelatus bakeri is a subspecies of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells. Its known distribution is limited to Fiordland, South Island, New Zealand.-References:...
Fleming, 1948 - Micrelenchus caelatus elongatusMicrelenchus caelatus elongatusMicrelenchus caelatus elongatus is a subspecies of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells. This subspecies is known only from the area of the Cook Strait, New Zealand.-References:...
(SuterHenry SuterHenry Suter was a New Zealand zoologist, naturalist, palaeontologist, and malacologist.- Biography :...
, 1897) - Micrelenchus caelatus morioriaMicrelenchus caelatus morioriaMicrelenchus caelatus morioria is a subspecies of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells. It is found in the Chatham Islands.-References:...
PowellArthur William Baden PowellDr Arthur William Baden Powell CBE was a New Zealand malacologist, naturalist and palaeontologist, a major influence in the study and classification of New Zealand molluscs through much of the twentieth century. He was known to his friends and family by his third name, "Baden".Powell was born at...
, 1933 - Micrelenchus caelatus mortenseniMicrelenchus caelatus mortenseniMicrelenchus caelatus mortenseni is a subspecies of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells. It occurs in the Southern Islands of New Zealand.-References:...
(OdhnerNils Hjalmar OdhnerNils Hjalmar Odhner was a Swedish zoologist who studied mollusks, a malacologist. During his lifetime he was professor of invertebrate zoology at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm...
, 1924)