Taniella
| Taniella Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| Taniella notocenica | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Littorinimorpha |
| Family: | Naticidae |
| Subfamily: | Naticinae |
| Genus: | †Taniella H. J. Finlay & Marwick, 1937 |
| Type species | |
| † Natica notocenica H. J. Finlay, 1924
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Taniella is a genus of extinct sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Naticidae.[1] Species in the genus begin to appear in fossil record in the Early Paleocene, and are primarily found in New Zealand, with some fossils known to occur in Australia.
Description
The genus is significantly smaller than a morphologically similar genus, Tanea, and can be distinguished due to its lower spire, and straight spire outlines that have a tangential suture that is weakly impressed.[2]
Taxonomy
Taniella was first described in 1937 by Harold Finlay and John Marwick.[3] While no extant members of the genus have been discovered, the Tasmanian species Natica elkingtoni has been identified as being a potential living member of Taniella.[2]
Distribution
The majority of known species have been found in New Zealand, dating to between the Early Paleocene (e.g. T. senisculus) and the Pleistocene (e.g. T. planisuturalis).[4][5][6] Two Australian species are known, T. subnoae of the Port Phillip Basin, which dates to the late Oligocene, and T. weymouthensis of the St Vincent Basin, which dates to the middle Miocene.[7]
Species
Species within the genus Taniella include:[1]
- † Taniella bacca (Marwick, 1924)
- † Taniella intermedia P. A. Maxwell, 1992
- † Taniella mima P. A. Maxwell, 1988
- † Taniella motutaraensis (A. W. B. Powell, 1935)
- † Taniella notocenica (H. J. Finlay, 1924)
- † Taniella planisuturalis (Marwick, 1924)
- † Taniella poliniciformis Beu, 1970
- † Taniella senisculus (Marwick, 1924)
- † Taniella subnoae (Tate, 1893)
- † Taniella tantilla Marwick, 1960
- † Taniella weymouthensis Ludbrook, 1958
References
- ^ a b c Taniella H. J. Finlay & Marwick, 1937 †. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 19 January 2026.
- ^ a b Beu, A. G. (March 2011). "Marine Mollusca of isotope stages of the last 2 million years in New Zealand. Part 4. Gastropoda (Ptenoglossa, Neogastropoda, Heterobranchia)". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 41 (1): 1–153. doi:10.1080/03036758.2011.548763. ISSN 0303-6758. Wikidata Q54553193.
- ^ Finlay, H. J.; Marwick, J. (1937). "The Wangaloan and associated molluscan faunas of Kaitangata-Green Island subdivision". New Zealand Geological Survey Palæontological Bulletin. 15: 48.
- ^ Maxwell, P.A. (2009). "Cenozoic Mollusca". In Gordon, D.P. (ed.). New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity. Volume one. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. Christchurch: Canterbury University Press. p. 243. ISBN 978-1-877257-72-8.
- ^ Blom, Wilma M. (2025). "Annotated Catalogue of Fossil and Extant Molluscan Types in the Auckland War Memorial Museum". Bulletin of the Auckland Museum. 22. doi:10.32912/BULLETIN/22. ISSN 1176-3213. OCLC 1550165130. Wikidata Q135397912.
- ^ "†Taniella Finlay and Marwick 1937 (moon snail)". Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ^ Darragh, Thomas A. (August 2024). "A checklist of Australian marine Cenozoic Mollusca". Memoirs of Museum Victoria. 83: 37–206. doi:10.24199/J.MMV.2024.83.02. ISSN 1447-2546. Wikidata Q136396722.