Kingdom Animalia Clade Caenogastropoda Clade Neogastropoda Phylum Mollusca | Class Gastropoda Clade Hypsogastropoda Superfamily Conoidea Rank Genus | |
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Similar Bathytoma atractoides, Gemmula, Cochlespira, Lophiotoma | ||
Bathytoma is a genus of deep-water sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Borsoniidae.
Contents
Fossil records
This genus is known in the fossil records from the Paleocene to the Quaternary (age range: from 55.8 to 0.781 million years ago). Fossils are found in the marine strata throughout the world.
Distribution
This marine species occurs in the Eastern Indian Ocean (Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa); off Indonesia, New Caledonia, Panglao Island, Sulu Sea, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, Bohol, Kerala, New Zealand, Philippines, Sea of Japan; off Australia (New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia). They are all know from deep waters from 100 m to about 1500 m, but usually at 200–700 m.
Description
The lines of specific distinction appear to be drawn narrowly in this genus and to depend chiefly upon sculpture. The novelty appears intimately related to Bathytoma engonia (Watson,1881) differing by the sharper keel, more elevated tubercles and generally coarser sculpture.
The biconical or fusiform shell is medium-sized to rather large. Its periphery is smooth or nodose, angulate or keeled. The peripheral anal sinus is deep. The columella is somewhat swollen, sometimes showing a pleat. The paucispiral protoconch consists of 1 to 3 conical or globose whorls, smooth or with faint spiral striae. The operculum has a broadly oblanceolate to ovate shape, with an eccentric to terminal nucleus. The ground color of the shell is white to yellowish-brown.
Their protoconch morphologhy seems to infer a non-planktotrophic larval development.
Species
Species within the genus Bathytoma include: