Lacuna is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.[1]

Lacuna
Lacuna crassior shell
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Littorinidae
Genus: Lacuna
Turton, 1827
Synonyms[1]
  • Aquilonaria Dall, 1886
  • Boetica Dall, 1918
  • Epheria Leach, 1847
  • Haloconcha Dall, 1886
  • Lacuna (Epheria) Leach, 1847
  • Lacuna (Lacunella) Dall, 1884 (non Deshayes, 1861)
  • Lacunaria Dall, 1885 (non Conrad, 1866)
  • Lacunitunica Golikov & Gulbin, 1978
  • Medoria Leach in Gray, 1847
  • Tamanella [sic]
  • Temanella Rovereto, 1899

Description edit

The spiral animal body is elongated. The mouth has a proboscis with two thick lips and a spiral, filiform tongue. There are two slender, contractile tentacles with the eyes on small pedicels near their base. The foot is oval and somewhat broader behind.

The thin shell has an ovate-conical or subglobose shape and is covered with a delicate horny periostracum. It has a short spire with convex whorls that are rapidly expanding. The last whorl is ventricose, i.e. inflated in the middle. The apex is rather obtuse. The oval or roundish aperture is covered with a horny, spirally marked operculum. The peristome is incomplete behind. The columella is flattened and forms with the peristome an elongated groove continued from the umbilicus. This groove is bounded internally by the decurved margin of the pillar.[2]

Species edit

The following species are recognised in the genus Lacuna:[3]

Species brought into synonymy
  • Lacuna abyssicola Melvill & Standen, 1912:[4] synonym of Moelleriopsis poppei Engl, 2012
  • Lacuna azonata Locard, 1886: synonym of Megalomphalus azoneus (Brusina, 1865)
  • Lacuna carinata Gould, 1848: synonym of Lacuna vincta (Montagu, 1803)
  • Lacuna cossmanni Locard, 1897 : synonym of Benthobia tryonii Dall, 1889
  • Lacuna macmurdensis Hedley, 1911 : synonym of Trilirata macmurdensis (Hedley, 1911)
  • Lacuna mediterranea Monterosato, 1869 : synonym of Ersilia mediterranea (Monterosato, 1869)
  • Lacuna neritoidea Gould, 1840 : synonym of Lacuna pallidula (da Costa, 1778)
  • Lacuna notorcadensis Melvill & Standen, 1907:[5] synonym of Laevilitorina wandelensis (Lamy, 1905)
  • Lacuna pallidula var. patula Hanley in Thorpe, 1844: synonym of Lacuna pallidula (da Costa, 1778)
  • Lacuna puteolus (Turton, 1819) : synonym of Lacuna parva (da Costa, 1778)


References edit

  1. ^ a b Lacuna Turton, 1827. Reid, David G.; Gofas, S. (2010). Lacuna Turton, 1827. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138099 on 4 March 2011 .
  2. ^ Macgillivray, William, History of the molluscous animals of Scotland; London, 1844
  3. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Lacuna W. Turton, 1827". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  4. ^ Lacuna abyssicola Melvill & Standen, 1912. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 6 June 2010.
  5. ^ Lacuna notorcadensis Melvill & Standen, 1907. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 6 June 2010.
  • Reid D. G. (1989). "The comparative morphology, phylogeny and evolution of the gastropod family Littorinidae". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B 324: 1-110

External links edit