Iphinopsis boucheti is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cancellariidae, the nutmeg snails.[2][3]

Iphinopsis boucheti
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Family: Cancellariidae
Genus: Iphinopsis
Species:
I. boucheti
Binomial name
Iphinopsis boucheti
Okutani, Hashimoto & Sasaki, 2004[1]

The specific name boucheti is in honor of French malacologist Philippe Bouchet.[1]

Distribution edit

 
Map of southern part of the Central Indian Ridge (CIR) showing location of the Kairei hydrothermal vent site.

The type locality is the Kairei hydrothermal vent site on the Central Indian Ridge, just north of the Rodrigues Triple Point. It occurs in a distinct microhabitat of black smokers and sites of diffuse venting at a depth of 2424 to 2443 meters.[1][4]

Description edit

Threats edit

Vent fields in the Indian Ocean seabed are of particular interest for exploration of polymetallic sulfide mineral resources. An exploration-phase license for the Triple Point region was granted by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources of Germany under a 15-year contract, expiring in 2030. The license permits the extraction of mineral resources for technological and geological exploration purposes, yet even such restricted disturbances possess direct and indirect concerns to subpopulations of Iphinopsis boucheti. Habitat destruction through mineral extraction and the spread of sediment plumes from the agitation of vent fields and adjacent deposits have been cited as potential threats to this species.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Okutani T., Hashimoto J. & Sasaki T. (2004). "New gastropod taxa from a hydrothermal vent (Kairei Field) in the central Indian Ocean". Venus 63(1-2): 1–10 PDF Archived 4 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ Iphinopsis boucheti Okutani, Hashimoto & Sasaki, 2004. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 6 April 2010.
  3. ^ "Iphinopsis boucheti Okutani, Hashimoto & Sasaki, 2004". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Iphinopsis boucheti". www.gastropods.com. Retrieved 21 January 2020.