Amblychilepas
Encyclopedia
Amblychilepas is a genus
of sea snail
s, marine
gastropod mollusks in the family
Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.
, except Amblychilepas platyactis that is found along the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula
, South Africa.
with which it shares radular
and shell characters.
The body of species in this genus is larger than the shell. The anterior part of the oval shell is narrower than the rest. Both ends of the shell are somewhat raised. The sculpture
of the shell shows fine radial ribs. The upper mantle fold
only slightly envelops the edge of the shell. The apical
opening (foramen) is elongate-oval and situated almost in the center. Long papillae extend from the mantle towards the foramen, as in A. nigrita.
The foot extends behind the shell with a length larger than the shell. Contrary to Dendrofissurella and Medusafissurella
, the foremost part of the foot (propodium) is unmodified.
The large outer lateral tooth of the radula
is quadricuspid ( = with four cusps).
The Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database also mentions the following species with names in current use
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
s, marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
gastropod mollusks in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.
Distribution
The species from this genus can be found in temperate waters of AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, except Amblychilepas platyactis that is found along the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula
Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula is a generally rocky peninsula that juts out for 75 km into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope...
, South Africa.
Description
Amblychilepas is closely associated with Dendrofissurella and MedusafissurellaMedusafissurella
Medusafissurella is a genus of minute deepwater keyhole limpets, marine gastropod mollusks or micromollusks in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets and slit limpets. -Etymology:...
with which it shares radular
Radula
The radula is an anatomical structure that is used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared rather inaccurately to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus...
and shell characters.
The body of species in this genus is larger than the shell. The anterior part of the oval shell is narrower than the rest. Both ends of the shell are somewhat raised. The sculpture
Sculpture (mollusc)
The sculpture of a mollusc shell is the three-dimensional ornamentation on the outer surface, as distinct from the basic shape of the shell itself or colouration. Sculpture may be concave as well as convex. Sometimes it has microscopic detail. Sculpture refers to the calcareous outer layer, not the...
of the shell shows fine radial ribs. The upper mantle fold
Mantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
only slightly envelops the edge of the shell. The apical
Apex (mollusc)
Apex is an anatomical term for the tip of the mollusc shell of a gastropod, scaphopod, or cephalopod mollusc.-Gastropods:The word "apex" is most often used to mean the tip of the spire of the shell of a gastropod...
opening (foramen) is elongate-oval and situated almost in the center. Long papillae extend from the mantle towards the foramen, as in A. nigrita.
The foot extends behind the shell with a length larger than the shell. Contrary to Dendrofissurella and Medusafissurella
Medusafissurella
Medusafissurella is a genus of minute deepwater keyhole limpets, marine gastropod mollusks or micromollusks in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets and slit limpets. -Etymology:...
, the foremost part of the foot (propodium) is unmodified.
The large outer lateral tooth of the radula
Radula
The radula is an anatomical structure that is used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared rather inaccurately to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus...
is quadricuspid ( = with four cusps).
Species
Species within the genus Amblychilepas include:- Amblychilepas dubiaAmblychilepas dubiaMedusafissurella dubia is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.-Distribution:This species is distributed in the Indian Ocean along Kenya, Madagascar and South Africa.-External links:*...
(Reeve, 1849) - Amblychilepas javanicensisAmblychilepas javanicensisAmblychilepas javanicensis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.-Distribution:...
(Lamarck, 1822) : type species. - Amblychilepas nigritaAmblychilepas nigritaAmblychilepas nigrita is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.-Distribution:...
(G.B. Sowerby I, 1834) - Amblychilepas platyactisAmblychilepas platyactisAmblychilepas platyactis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets....
McLean & Lilburn, 1986 - Amblychilepas scutella (Gmelin, 1791) : synonym of Dendrofissurella scutellumDendrofissurella scutellumDendrofissurella is a monotypic genus of minute deepwater keyhole limpets, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets and slit limpets.-Taxonomy:Dendrofissurella scutellum is the sole species in this genus...
The Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database also mentions the following species with names in current use
- Amblychilepas compressa (Thiele, 1930)
- Amblychilepas crucis (Beddome, 1882)
- Amblychilepas oblonga (Menke, 1843)
- Amblychilepas omicron (Crosse & Fisher, 1864)