Stellaria testigera

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]

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]
  • Phorus testigerus Bronn, 1831
  • Xenophora (Stellaria) testigera (Bronn, 1831)

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]

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References
  1. 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 .
  2. S. t. profunda at Gastropods
  3. S.t. digitata at Gastropods
  4. 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
  5. Stromboidea
  6. Paleobiology Database
  7. Storia della specie Stellaria testigera
  • Kreipl K. & Alf A. (1999). Recent Xenophoridae. Conchbooks, Hackenheim > Germany. 148pp.


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