Rank Family | Scientific name Scissurellidae Higher classification Archaeogastropoda | |
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Scissurellidae, sometimes known by the common name little slit snails, are a taxonomic family of minute sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs or micromolluscs in the clade Vetigastropoda (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).
Contents
The shells of these snails vary in adult size from less than 6 mm to less than 1 mm.
Distribution
Scissurellids occur world-wide, from the intertidal zone down to the abyssal depths, including around hydrothermal vents.
Taxonomy
There are about 169 living described species of Scissurellidae, but the diversity of scissurellids is still far from being completely assessed (approximately 60 collected species await description). The monophyly of the family is questionable.
In 2003, there were about twenty-five genera divided into five subfamilies (Scissurellinae, Anatominae, Sutilizoninae, Temnocinclinae, Larocheinae) . Three of these subfamilies were later updated to family level.
According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005), this family consisted of the two following subfamilies :
However Geiger (2009) elevated Depressizoninae to the family rank as Depressizonidae.
Genera
Genera in the family Scissurellidae include: