Vexillum (gastropod) explained

Vexillum is a genus of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Costellariidae.

This genus is not monophyletic. The genus Vexillum contains about 80% of costellariid diversity.[1] It is considered a "dumping ground" for an array of unrelated forms.[2]

Description

The shell is elongated, turreted, longitudinally ribbed or plicate. The spire is acuminated and the aperture is narrow. The columella shows numerous plaits while the outer lip is internally striated.[3]

Vexillum species produce complex venoms dominated by highly diversified short cysteine-rich peptides, vexitoxins, related to conotoxins.[4]

Distribution

This genus is cosmopolitan and occurs in tropical and temperate seas, but primarily in shallow waters (but also at bathyal depths) of the tropical Indo-Pacific.

Species

Species within the genus Vexillum include:

Taxa inquirenda

Synonyms

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Philippe_Bouchet/publication/314238701_Phylogeny_systematics_and_evolution_of_the_family_Costellariidae_Gastropoda_Neogastropoda/links/5a0a5e1245851551b78d38cd/Phylogeny-systematics-and-evolution-of-the-family-Costellariidae-Gastropoda-Neogastropoda.pdf Fedosov, Alexander E., et al. "Phylogeny, systematics, and evolution of the family Costellariidae (Gastropoda: Neogastropoda)." Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 179.3 (2017): 541-626.
  2. Cernohorsky WO. 1966. A study of mitrid radulae and a tentative generic arrangement of the family Mitridae. The Veliger 9: 101–126
  3. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3782650 Adams, H. & Adams, A. (1853-1858). The genera of Recent Mollusca; arranged according to their organization. London, van Voorst. Vol. 1: xl + 484 pp.; vol. 2: 661 pp.; vol. 3: 138 pls
  4. Kuznetsova, Ksenia G., Zvonareva, Sofia S., Ziganshin, Rustam, Mekhova, Elena S., Dgebuadze, Polina, Yen, Dinh T. H., Nguyen, Thanh H. T., Moshkovskii, Sergei A., Fedosov, Alexander E. - Vexitoxins: conotoxin-like venom peptides from predatory gastropods of the genus Vexillum; Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 8/10/2022, Vol. 289 Issue 1980, p1-10. 10p.
  5. Salisbury R., Gori S. (2012). A new Costellarid species (Gastropoda: Costellariidae) from Taiwan. Visaya 3 (5): 57-60.
  6. Marine Mollusks of Hawaii VIII-XIII. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 72: 296-328