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Gigantopelta aegis

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Species of gastropod

Gigantopelta aegis
Aggregation of Gigantopelta aegis with other animals, such as scaly-foot gastropods (black snails).
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Neomphaliones
Order: Neomphalida
Family: Peltospiridae
Genus: Gigantopelta
Species: G. aegis
Binomial name
Gigantopelta aegis
Chen, Linse, Roterman, Copley & Rogers, 2015

Gigantopelta aegis is a species of deep sea snail from hydrothermal vents, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Peltospiridae.

Taxonomy

It was described as a new species within new genus Gigantopelta in 2015 and it was classified within the family Peltospiridae.

Distribution

This species is known from its type locality only: Longqi hydrothermal vent field in Southwest Indian Ridge, 37°47.03′S 49°38.96′E / 37.78383°S 49.64933°E / -37.78383; 49.64933.

Description

The width of the shell is 4.84–44.83 mm. Valeues of δC were −26.42‰ ± 0.67. A distinguishing factor of the Gigantopelta aegis is their large size, hence the name, which translates to “gigantic shield” in Latin. While other peltospirids reach shell diameter sizes of 15mm on average, the Gigantopelta aegis can grow up to 45.7 mm. The shell is also thickly coated with a layer of sulphide. However, this is typical of other vent-dwelling gastropods. Another distinguishing factor for the Gigantopelta species is that sexual dimorphism is not exhibited, as seen in other peltopsirids.

References

  1. ^ Chen C., Linse K., Roterman C. N., Copley J. T. & Rogers A. D. (2015). "A new genus of large hydrothermal vent‐endemic gastropod (Neomphalina: Peltospiridae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 175(2), 319-335. doi:10.1111/zoj.12279.
  2. Copley, J. T.; Marsh, L.; Glover, A. G.; Hühnerbach, V.; Nye, V. E.; Reid, W. D. K.; Sweeting, C. J.; Wigham, B. D.; Wiklund, H. (2016). "Ecology and biogeography of megafauna and macrofauna at the first known deep-sea hydrothermal vents on the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge". Scientific Reports. 6: 39158. doi:10.1038/srep39158. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 5155287. PMID 27966649.
  3. ^ Chen, Chong; Linse, Katrin; Roterman, Christopher N.; Copley, Jonathan T.; Rogers, Alex D. (October 2015). "A new genus of large hydrothermal vent-endemic gastropod (Neomphalina: Peltospiridae): A New Genus of Vent-Endemic Gastropod". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 175 (2): 319–335. doi:10.1111/zoj.12279.
Taxon identifiers
Gigantopelta aegis


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