Gurmatia

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Gurmatia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Gastropoda Subclass: Orthogastropoda Order: Heterostropha Superfamily: Pyramidelloidea Family: Pyramidellidae Subfamily: Chrysallidinae Genus: Gurmatia Dance & Eames, 1966
Species
See text.

Gurmatia is a small genus of pyramidellid gastropod mollusks or micromollusks. This genus is currently placed in the the subfamily Chrysallidinae, of the family Odostomiidae.

The genus is known only from fossils (Holocene).

Contents 1 Shell description 2 Life habits 3 Species within the genus Gurmatia 4 References

[edit] Shell description

The shell in this genus is small, ovate-conic, thin and translucent. The protoconch is heterostrophic and smooth, and it is obliquely immersed in the first adult whorl.

The adult shell has spiral chords which are separated by deep grooves. The spiral chords have numerous transverse threads in their intervals.

The straight, vertical aperture lacks the fold that most members of Odostomiinae have. The shell opening (Aperture) is truncate-subovate.

Compared to Euparthenia Thiele, 1929, Gurmatia lacks a columellar fold and has no axial ribs. Compared to Monotygma J. E. Gray, 1847 (=Actaeopyramis Fisher, 1885) it is considerably smaller, and is more strongly shouldered.

[edit] Life habits

Little is known about the biology of the members of this genus. As is true of most members of the Pyramidellidae sensu lato, they were most likely ectoparasites.

[edit] Species within the genus Gurmatia

• Gurmatia wilkinsi (De Folin in De Folin & Périer, 1873) (Type species)
• Gurmatia pulchrior

[edit] References

• Dance, S. P. & Eames, F. E. (1956). "New molluscs from the Recent Hamar formation of South-East Iraq.". Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London 37: 35-44.