Stellaria testigera
| Stellaria testigera Temporal range: Miocene - Pliocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A view of a fossil shell of Stellaria testigera | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Littorinimorpha |
| Superfamily: | Xenophoroidea |
| Family: | Xenophoridae |
| Genus: | Stellaria |
| Species: | S. testigera |
| Binomial name | |
| Stellaria testigera (Bronn, 1831) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Stellaria testigera, common name Finger Carrier Shell, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Xenophoridae, the carrier shells.[1]
Subspecies
- Stellaria testigera profunda Ponder, 1983
- Stellaria testigera digitata Martens, 1878
Distribution
Stellaria testigera profunda is present in the Gulf of Aden and in North East Africa,[2] while Stellaria testigera digitata can be found in Senegal and Western Africa.[3]
Description
Shells of Stellaria testigera profunda can reach a size of 45–80 millimetres (1.8–3.1 in),[2] while in Stellaria testigera digitata they can reach 50–75 millimetres (2.0–3.0 in).[3] These shells are characterized by the expanded peripherical flange, the presence of digitations and the smooth dorsal surface.[4][5]
Fossil record
Fossils of Stellaria testigera are found in marine strata from the Miocene to Pliocene (age range: from 20.43 to 3.6 million years ago.). Fossils are known from Italy, Denmark and Slovakia.[6] These mollusks lived in the Mediterranean and spread to the Atlantic Africa and the Gulf of Aden.[4][7]
References
- 1 2 Stellaria testigera (Bronn, 1831). WoRMS (2010). Stellaria testigera (Bronn, 1831). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=468050 on 9 July 2010.
- 1 2 S. t. profunda at Gastropods
- 1 2 S.t. digitata at Gastropods
- 1 2 Sven N. Nielsen, T. J. DeVries Tertiary Xenophoridae (Gastropoda) of western South America The Nautilus. - Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum - American Malacologists, Inc. - Delaware Museum of Natural History. v.116:no.1-3 (2002) Page 75
- ↑ Stromboidea
- ↑ Paleobiology Database
- ↑ Storia della specie Stellaria testigera
- Kreipl K. & Alf A. (1999). Recent Xenophoridae. Conchbooks, Hackenheim > Germany. 148pp.