A live specimen of “scaly-foot” gastropod from a hydrothermal vent at the Central Indian Ridge. Image modified from fig. 5B in Nakamura et al. (2012); CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Overview

Neomphalina are a fairly obscure group of gastropods, though one has achieved some recent fame. It was discovered in 2001 at a deep-sea hydrothermal vent system and has been named Crysomallon squamiferum. This snail has received considerable media attention (e.g., here and here) because it sometimes uses metal (iron sulphide, or fool’s gold) to construct both the outermost layer of its shell and protrusions extending from its foot. No other snail, or animal, is known to utilize metal in this way.

As with the Cocculiniformia, the phylogenetic relationship of Neomphalina to the other major clades of Gastropoda remains uncertain.

Families of Neomphalina

Bouchet (2011) presents the following families and genera as members of the Neomphalina . This list was copied from the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMs) on March 3, 2017 and is reposted here in concordance with the source material’s Creative Commons BY 4.0 license. The link associated with each name will direct you to additional information about that taxon on WoRMS.

Family Melanodrymiidae Salvini-Plawen & Steiner, 1995

Genus Leptogyra Bush, 1897
Genus Leptogyropsis B. A. Marshall, 1988
Genus Melanodrymia Hickman, 1984
Genus Xyleptogyra B. A. Marshall, 1988

Family Neomphalidae McLean, 1981

Genus Cyathermia Warén & Bouchet, 1989
Genus Lacunoides Warén & Bouchet, 1989
Genus Neomphalus McLean, 1981
Genus Planorbidella Warén & Bouchet, 1993
Genus Solutigyra Warén & Bouchet, 1989
Genus Symmetromphalus McLean, 1990

Family Peltospiridae McLean, 1989

Genus Chrysomallon Chen, Linse, Copley & Rogers, 2015
Genus Ctenopelta Warén & Bouchet, 1993
Genus Depressigyra Warén & Bouchet, 1989
Genus Echinopelta McLean, 1989
Genus Gigantopelta Chen, Linse, Roterman, Copley & Rogers, 2015
Genus Hirtopelta McLean, 1989
Genus Lirapex Warén & Bouchet, 1989
Genus Nodopelta McLean, 1989
Genus Pachydermia Warén & Bouchet, 1989
Genus Peltospira McLean, 1989
Genus Rhynchopelta McLean, 1989

References

Bouchet, P. 2011. Neomphalina. Accessed on March 3, 2017 through WoRMS at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=579262.

Nakamura, K. et al. 2012. Discovery of new hydrothermal activity and chemosynthetic fauna on the Central Indian Ridge at 18–20 S. PLOS ONE 7(3): e32965. Link.