Virginie's Caecum
Caecum cf. virginiae
Protoconch unknown. Tapered teleoconch tube, covered numerous uniform close rings. The mature teleoconch tube forms a swelling near the aperture crossed by small rings which are sparser than those present on the tube. Very fine longitudinal microsculpture covers the whole tube extending to the tip of ribs. Septum mucronate, tuner laterally right, protruding past the cutting plane. Anterior margin sinuous and S-shaped, posterior one straight. In frontal view, with the septum turned upwards, the tube shows a slight dextral torsion near the aperture. Colour white. Operculum center concave, light brown, translucent and bearing of 6-7 concentric rings. Length to 1.3 mm, diameter of teleoconch tube about 0.2 mm.
Morphology
The caecids have taxonomical powerful characters of the protoconch and teleoconch, as well as operculum. The protoconch may be regularly coiled, planispiral or terminally spiral with straight subsequent tube. The teleoconch may be deciduous and shed early growth sections, including protoconch, and teleoconch parts. The shear point of the teleoconch have pronounces species specific characters including the septum which may have a spike or bulge (mucro). The operculum has useful characters on the internal side in particular. The anatomy and associated characters have not been sufficiently documented to establish whether comparative anatomy is useful taxomomically.
Evolution
Caecid fossils are know from Cretaceous Tethys Sea deposits, Late Cretaceous deposits of the Americas as well as Late Eocene-Early Oligocene rocks of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Behaviour
Caecids are microphagous feeders like other truncatelloideans, many of which graze biofilms.
Method of reproduction
The groups have separate sexes and the copulation is internal with a male penis and female bursa copulatrix. Egg capsules are simple spherical structures covered in sand grains and microalgae. The larvae have pelagic development.
Habitat
Marine
The generally live in shallow water, even intertidally, in association with sea grass, algae, rocks, pebbles or even interstitially in gravel.
Distribution
Maldives to Fiji in the Indo-west Pacific
Life Cycle
Benthic adults, most likely free swimming larvae
Kingdom: | Animalia |
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Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Littorinimorpha |
Superfamily: | Truncatelloidea |
Family: | Caecidae |
Subfamily: | Caecinae |
Genus: | Caecum |
Species: | cf. virginiae |
Name Published Year: | 2013 |
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Scientific Name Authorship: | Pizzini & Vannozzi |
Commercial Impact: | None |
Conservation Assessment: | Least Concern |
Cite this page
Western Australian Museum Collections https://museum.wa.gov.au/online-collections/names/caecum-cf-virginiae
Accessed 8 Oct 2023
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