Rubyspira, new genus and two new species of bone-eating deep-sea snails with ancient habits.
Rubyspira, a new genus of deep-sea snails (Gastropoda: Abyssochrysoidea) with two living species, derives its nutrition from decomposing whalebones. Molecular phylogenetic and morphological evidence places the new genus in an exclusively deep-sea assemblage that includes several close relatives previously known as fossils associated with Cretaceous cold seeps, plesiosaur bones, and Eocene whalebones. The ability to exploit a variety of marine reducing environments may have contributed to the evolutionary longevity of this gastropod lineage.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, California 95039, USA. sjohnson@mbari.org
S B
SB
Johnson
A
A
Warén
R W
RW
Lee
Y
Y
Kano
A
A
Kaim
A
A
Davis
E E
EE
Strong
R C
RC
Vrijenhoek
D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D049851:Gastropoda / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012623:Seawater; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D004247:DNA