Oxystele

Oxystele
Oxystele tigrina'
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Clade: Vetigastropoda
Superfamily: Trochoidea (superfamily)
Family: Trochidae
Genus: Oxystele
Philippi, 1847 [1]
Type species
Trochus merula Dillwyn, 1817

Oxystele is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Trochidae, the top snails.[2]

Description

The depressed conical shell is dark or variegated in color. The large aperture is oblique. The concave columella is arcuate, thin-edged, perfectly simple and curved below. It is above spread over the umbilical area as a rounded, well-defined pad of callus.[3]

Patterns of the variegated shell color within the genus Oxystele are shown in the image : A–C Oxystele variegata from Namibia, 5 km north of Swakopmund, diameter 22.2 mm (NMSA E6038) D–F Oxystele impervia from the Western Cape, Groen Rivier, diameter 22.3 mm (NMSA E7353) G–I Oxystele sp. from the Eastern Cape, Tsitsikamma National Park, diameter 16.5 mm (HVDBM058-10, NMSA W7371); the colour pattern of these specimens suggests Oxystele variegata, but these specimens group within the unit of Oxystele impervia J–L Oxystele sp. from the Northern Cape, Noup, diameter 18.0 mm (HVDBM185-10, NMSA W7608); the colour pattern suggests Oxystele impervia, but they group with Oxystele variegata

Distribution

These marine species occur off South Africa and Japan.

Species

Oxystele burdigalensis Cossmann & Peyrot 1916, a fossil species from the Miocene of France
Patterns of shell color within the genus Oxystele

Species within the genus Oxystele include:

Species brought into synonymy

References

External links

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