Persicula
| Persicula | |
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| Drawing of a shell of Persicula shepstonensis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Muricoidea |
| Family: | Cystiscidae |
| Subfamily: | Persiculinae |
| Genus: |
Persicula Schumacher, 1817 |
| Type species | |
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Persicula variabilis Schumacher, H.C.F., 1817 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Persicula is a taxonomic genus of minute to small predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks. It includes several species which are micromollusks.
This genus is placed in the family Cystiscidae. It was previously in the family Marginellidae the margin snails. Both families are within the clade Neogastropoda.
(Note: Gastropod taxonomy has been in flux for more than half a century, and this is especially true currently, because of new research in molecular phylogeny. Because of all the on-going changes, different reliable sources can yield very different classifications.)
Species in this genus live from the intertidal zone to 370 m in depth.
In this genus the shell is minute to small. It can be uniformly colored or white, and the color can be patterned. The shell is moderately thick to thick. The spire is usually immersed. The lip of the aperture is thickened, and weakly to strongly lirate.
An external varix can be present or absent. There is a distinct siphonal notch present and a posterior notch is also present. The columella is multiplicate, with 4 to 13 plications plus parietal lirae.
The animal has long tentacles, and the siphon is also usually long. The mantle appears not to extend completely over the external shell surface.
P. variabilis Schumacher, 1817 = Voluta persicula Linné, 1758
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