Turritella

Turritella is a genus of medium-sized sea snails with an operculum, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae.
They have tightly coiled shells, whose overall shape is basically that of an elongated cone.
The name Turritella comes from the Latin word turritus meaning "turreted" or "towered" and the diminutive suffix -ella.
Species
Valid
Valid species within the genus Turritella are listed below. Fossil species are marked with a dagger "†".
Turritella acropora (Dall, 1889)
Turritella albolapis Finlay, 1924
Turritella algida Melvill & Standen, 1912
Turritella anactor Berry, 1957
Turritella annulata Kiener, 1843
† Turritella apicalis - Pleistocene of Florida
Turritella attenuata Reeve, 1849
Turritella aurocincta Martens, 1875
Turritella bacillum Kiener, 1843
† Turritella badensis - Cenozoic of Denmark, Germany and Poland
Turritella banksii Gray in Reeve, 1849
Turritella bayeri Petuch, 2001
Turritella bicingulata Lamarck, 1822
Turritella broderipiana d'Orbigny, 1840
Turritella caelata Mörch in Dunker, 1858
Turritella capensis (Krauss, 1848)
Turritella carinifera Lamarck, 1822
Turritella chordata Suter, 1908
Turritella chrysotoxa Tomlin, 1825
Turritella cingulata Sowerby, 1825
Turritella cingulifera G.B. Sowerby I, 1825
Turritella clarionensis Hertlein & Strong, 1951
Turritella cochlea Reeve, 1849
Turritella columnaris Kiener, 1843
Turritella communis Risso, 1826
Turritella concava Martens, 1880
Turritella conofasciata (Sacco 1895)
Turritella conspersa Adams & Reeve, 1850
Turritella cooperi Carpenter, 1864
Turritella cornea Lamarck, 1822
Turritella couteaudi Rochebrune & Mabille, 1889
† Turritella crenulata Nyst, 1844
Turritella crocea Kiener, 1843
† Turritella cruzadoi DeVries, 2007
Turritella decipiens Monterosato, 1878
Turritella declivis Adams & Reeve, 1850
Turritella dirkhartogensis (Garrard, 1972)
Turritella duplicata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Turritella dura Mörch, 1860
Turritella elachista Rochebrune & Mabille, 1889
Turritella exoleta (Linnaeus, 1758)
Turritella fastigiata Adams & Reeve, 1850
Turritella ferruginea Reeve, 1849
Turritella fultoni Melvill & Standen, 1901
Turritella fuscomaculata Bozzetti, 2009
Turritella gemmata Reeve, 1849
Turritella gonostoma Valenciennes, 1832
Turritella hastula Reeve, 1849
Turritella hookeri Reeve, 1849
Turritella incisa Reeve, 1849
† Turritella incrassata - Pliocene of Belgium
Turritella knysnaensis Krauss, 1848
Turritella leeuwinensis (Garrard, 1972)
Turritella lentiginosa Reeve, 1849
Turritella leucostoma Valenciennes, 1832
Turritella ligar Deshayes, 1843
Turritella lindae (Petuch, 1987)
Turritella lyonsi Garcia, 2006
Turritella maculata Reeve, 1849
Turritella marianopsis Petuch, 1990
Turritella minuta Turton, 1932
Turritella monilifera Adams & Reeve, 1850
Turritella monterosatoi Kobelt, 1887
Turritella nebulosa Kiener, 1843
Turritella nodulosa King & Broderip, 1832
Turritella praetermissa (Dautzenberg, 1912)
Turritella punctata Kiener, 1843
Turritella radula Kiener, 1843
Turritella reevei Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1906
† Turritella riverae DeVries, 2007
Turritella rubescens Reeve, 1849
† Turritella salasi DeVries, 2007
Turritella sanguinea Reeve, 1849
Turritella sedanensis (Martin 1905)
† Turritella steiningeri Harzhauser, 2007
Turritella terebra (Linnaeus, 1758)
† Turritella terebralis Lamarck, 1799
Turritella torulosa Kiener, 1843
† Turritella trempina - Pliocene
Turritella triplicata Philippi, 1836
Turritella turbona Monterosato, 1877
† Turritella turris - Early Miocene of Central Europe
Turritella ungulina (Linnaeus, 1758)
Turritella variegata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Turritella vermicularis (Brocchi, 1814)
† Turritella vertebroides Morton, 1834 - Late Cretaceous of South of North America
Turritella wareni Ryall & Vos, 2010
Turritella willetti McLean, 1970
Turritella yucatecana (Dall, 1881)
Invalid
These are species assigned to Turritella that were brought into synonymy with other taxa:
Turritella (Torcula) Gray, 1847: synonym of Turritella Lamarck, 1799
Turritella (Torcula) cochlea Reeve, 1849: synonym of Turritella cochlea Reeve, 1849
Turritella acicula Stimpson, 1851: synonym of Turritellopsis stimpsoni (Dall, 1919)
Turritella alternata Say, 1822: synonym of Bittiolum alternatum (Say, 1822)
† Turritella andenensis Otuka, 1934: synonym of Neohaustator andenensis (Otuka, 1934)
Turritella aquila Reeve, 1849: synonym of Turritella conspersa Adams & Reeve, 1850
Turritella areolata Stimpson, 1851: synonym of Tachyrhynchus reticulatus (Mighels & Adams, 1842)
Turritella auricincta Martens, 1875: synonym of Turritella aurocincta Martens, 1875
Turritella bicolor Adams & Reeve, 1850: synonym of Turritella cingulifera G.B. Sowerby I, 1825
Turritella brevialis Lamarck, 1822: synonym of Mesalia brevialis (Lamarck, 1822)
Turritella canaliculata Adams & Reeve, 1850: synonym of Turritella cingulifera G.B. Sowerby I, 1825
Turritella candida Reeve, 1849: synonym of Turritella gemmata Reeve, 1849
Turritella cingulata Sowerby, 1825 is a synonym of Incatella cingulata (Sowerby, 1825)
Turritella concava Say, 1826: synonym of Terebra concava (Say, 1826)
Turritella congelata Adams & Reeve, 1850: synonym of Colpospira congelata (Adams & Reeve, 1850)
Turritella costulata Mighels & Adams, 1842: synonym of Acirsa borealis (Lyell, 1841)
Turritella costulata Møller, 1842: synonym of Eumetula arctica (Mørch, 1857)
Turritella crenulata (Donald, 1900): synonym of Colpospira joannae (Hedley, 1923)
Turritella erosa Couthouy, 1838: synonym of Tachyrhynchus erosus (Couthouy, 1838)
Turritella eschrichti Hölböll in Möller, 1842: synonym of Acirsa borealis (Lyell, 1841)
Turritella excavata G. B. Sowerby III, 1870: synonym of Turritella declivis Adams & Reeve in Reeve, 1849
Turritella flammulata Kiener, 1843-44: synonym ofTurritella ligar Deshayes, 1843
Turritella fortilirata G. B. Sowerby III, 1914: synonym of Neohaustator fortilirata (G. B. Sowerby III, 1914)
Turritella gracillima Gould, 1860: synonym of Turritella cingulifera G. B. Sowerby I, 1825
Turritella granosa Quoy & Gaimard, 1834: synonym of Opalia granosa (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
Turritella imbricata (Linnaeus, 1758): synonym of Turritella variegata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Turritella knysnaensis Krauss, 1848: synonym of Turritella capensis (Krauss, 1848)
Turritella lactea Möller, 1842: synonym of Mesalia lactea (Möller, 1842)
† Turritella maiquetiana Weisbord, 1962: synonym of Turritella paraguanensis Hodson, 1926
Turritella mediolevis Verco, 1910: synonym of Colpospira mediolevis (Verco, 1910)
Turritella meta Reeve, 1849: synonym of Turritella gemmata
Turritella monterosatoi Kobelt, 1887: synonym of Turritella turbona Monterosato, 1877
Turritella nzimaorum Ryall & Vos, 2010: synonym of Turritella caelata Mörch in Dunker, 1858
Turritella opalina Adams & Reeve, 1850: synonym of Mesalia opalina (Adams & Reeve, 1850)
Turritella opulenta Hedley, 1907: synonym of Glyptozaria opulenta (Hedley, 1907)
Turritella paraguanensis Hodson, 1926: synonym of Turritella variegata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Turritella philippi Aradas, 1842: synonym of Acirsa subdecussata (Cantraine, 1835)
Turritella polaris Möller, 1842: synonym of Tachyrhynchus erosus (Couthouy, 1838)
Turritella spina Crosse & Fischer, 1864: synonym of Cingulina spina (Crosse & Fischer, 1864)
Turritella reticulata Mighels & Adams, 1842: synonym of Tachyrhynchus reticulatus (Mighels & Adams, 1842)
Turritella spirata Sowerby I, 1825: synonym of Eglisia spirata (Sowerby I, 1825)
Turritella symmetrica Hutton, 1873: synonym of Stiracolpus symmetricus (Hutton, 1873)
Turritella trisulcata Lamarck, 1822: synonym of Turritella vermicularis
Turritella yucatecanum Dall, 1881: synonym of Turritella yucatecana (Dall, 1881)
Fossil species
The genus is known from the Cretaceous to the Recent periods.
The shells are quite frequently found as fossils, and the carbonate stone made from large quantities of Turritella shells is often referred to as "Turritella limestone", or, if silicified, "Turritella agate". Both varieties of this stone are commonly sold as polished cabochons.
"Turritella agate"
One variety of "Turritella agate", that from the Green River Formation in Wyoming, is a fossiliferous rock which does indeed contain numerous high-spired snail shells. However, contrary to the common name, these snails are not in the marine genus Turritella, instead they are freshwater snails in the species Elimia tenera, family Pleuroceridae from the Eocene epoch. The rock in which these snail shells are so abundant varies from a soft sandstone to a dense chalcedony. This dense silicified rock is popular with gem and mineral hobbyists, as well as with New Age practitioners.
Turritellenplatte
The Erminger Turritellenplatte ("Turritella plate of Ermingen") near Ulm, Germany is a rocky outcrop situated in the northern part of the North Alpine Foreland Basin. It is famous for its superabundance of Turritella turris shells within its sediments and dates from the Burdigalian.
References
Caenogastropoda in Man and Mollusc
External links
"1. Turritella bicolor; 2. Turritella congelata; 3. Turritella conspersa; 4. Turritella miltilirata; 5. Turritella vittulata; 6. Turritella monilifera; 7. Turritella opalina; 8. Eglisia tricarinata; 9. Turritella fastigiata; 10. Turritela declivis; 11. Turritella canaliculata", New York Public Library no-charge digital image available; image dated 1850.
Prehistoric life of Europe
Turritellidae
Cretaceous molluscs
Cenozoic molluscs
Extant Late Jurassic first appearances