Neritimorpha

Subclass of gastropods From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Neritimorpha

Neritimorpha is a clade of gastropod molluscs that contains around 2,000 extant species of sea snails, limpets, freshwater snails, land snails and slugs.[1] This clade used to be known as the superorder Neritopsina.

Quick Facts Scientific classification, Clades ...
Neritimorpha
Temporal range: Early Ordovician – Recent
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Examples of Neritimorpha
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Neritimorpha
Clades

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Synonyms

Neritopsina Cox & Knight, 1960

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Etymology

The clade’s name, Neritimorpha, is from the Ancient Greek νηρίτης (nērī́tēs 'Nerite') and μορφή (morphḗ 'form').[2]

Description

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Shells of the freshwater snail Theodoxus danubialis
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Shells of the land snail species Helicina rostrata
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Titiscania, a shellless neritimorph

Despite their relatively low diversity, with only around 2,000 species, neritomorphs have achieved a remarkable diversity of forms, resembling a smaller-scale version of the diversity achieved by Gastropoda as a whole.[3] Terrestrial lifestyles have evolved at least three separate occasions in neritimorphs: the extinct Dawsonellidae and the extant Helicinidae and Hydrocenidae.[4] Neritimorphs also include the shellless, slug-like Titiscania.[3]

In all modern neritomorphs except neritopsids, the inner walls of the protoconch are resorbed.[5]

Unlike most other gastropods, neritomorphs typically have calcified opercula. There is no operculum in the shellless Titiscania, and the Phenacolepadidae have a vestigial, non-calcified operculum that shows no postlarval growth.[6]

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Geophorus romblonensis, family Helicinidae

Evolutionary history

Neritimorpha has an extremely rich geologic history, going back to early Ordovician.[5] This clade has been considered to be a leftover of early gastropod diversification.

Neritimorpha is the sister taxon of the Apogastropoda.[7][8] The clade uniting neritimorphs and apogastropods has been called either Adenogonogastropoda[9] or Angiogastropoda.[7]

All modern members of Neritimorpha are classified in the order Cycloneritimorpha.[5] Neritopsoidea was the first of the four modern neritomorph superfamilies to diverge from the others.[4]

1997 taxonomy

According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Ponder & Lindberg, 1997) Neritopsina is a gastropod superorder in the subclass Orthogastropoda. The superfamily Palaeotrochoidea is contained within Neritopsina but its order placement is undetermined.

2005 taxonomy

The taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005[10] categorizes Neritimorpha as a gastropod mollusk clade. It is one of the 6 highest clades in Gastropoda. It contains the clades Cyrtoneritimorpha, Cycloneritimorpha, as well as Paleozoic Neritimorpha of uncertain position.

Clades (and uncertain position taxa) in Neritimorpha include:

Four extant superfamilies are recognised: Helicinoidea, Hydrocenoidea, Neritoidea and Neritopsoidea.

In human society

Nerite snails are popular in the aquarium trade.[11]

References

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