Raphitoma


Raphitoma is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Raphitomidae.
The type species Pleurotoma hystrix Cristofori and Jan, 1832 is a nomen nudum. It has been validated by Bellardi, 1847 as “Pleurotoma histrix Jan.”

Distribution

This genus occurs in European waters, in the northern part of the Mediterranean Sea, and in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Verde, West Africa and Angola.

Taxonomy history

The genus Raphitoma was created in 1847 by Luigi Bellardi in his "Monographie des Pleurotomes fossiles du Piémont" for species in different groups without operculum.
Raphitoma now contains many species formerly assigned to Pleurotoma Lamarck, 1799, Clathurella and Philbertia. Philbertia was synonymized with Raphitoma in 1990 because Dr. Philippe Bouchet did not consider valid the subdivision of species into different genera solely on the basis of differences during larval development.
In describing Raphitoma, the World Register of Marine Species relied on an unpublished database "Nomenclator of Molluscan Supraspecific Names" by Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P.. In December 2011, the WoRMS database still showed 21 species retaining the genus name Philbertia. In their publication "A new operational classification of the Conoidea ", Bouchet, Kantor et al. still recognize Philbertia as a valid genus in the Raphitomidae.
As of the 2017 update to the 2005 restructuring of gastropod taxonomy, WoRMS recognizes Philbertia as a synonym of Raphitoma.

Description

According to Giannuzzi-Savelli et al., the shell of the species in this genus are characterized by:
  • shape: turreted to biconic-pupoidal with an impressed suture.
  • size: small to medium compared with the other genera in this family
  • protoconch: 3 to 4.5 whorls when multispiral - otherwise paucispiral.
  • body whorl: frequently keeled.
  • Sculpture: reticulate and diagonally squarely cancellated with the axial opisthocline ribs broader than the spiral riblets; sometimes growth lines visible between the ribs on the body whorl.
  • outer lip: thickened, showing inner denticles; crenulated externally.
  • columella: simple; sometimes slightly sinuous anteriorly.
  • siphonal canal: funnel-like; short to rather long; wide.
Data about the soft parts are scarce and suggest a variation between the species.

Species

Species within the genus Raphitoma include:
† = species is extinct

Synonyms

Raphitoma aequalis : synonym of Cyrillia aequalis Raphitoma affine Locard, 1891: synonym of Bela nebula Raphitoma amoena Sars G.O., 1878: synonym of Nepotilla amoena Raphitoma angusta Bellardi, 1847 †: synonym of Agathotoma angusta † Raphitoma antonjanssei Marquet & Landau, 2006 †: synonym of Raphitoma antonjanseni Marquet, 1998 † Raphitoma asperrima : synonym of Trophonopsis muricata Raphitoma barbierii Brusina, 1866: synonym of Drilliola loprestiana Raphitoma bedoyai Rolán, Otero-Schmitt & F. Fernandes, 1998: synonym of Daphnella bedoyai