Asthenotoma is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Borsoniidae.[1]

Asthenotoma
Shell of Asthenotoma lamothei
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Conoidea
Family: Borsoniidae
Genus: Asthenotoma
Harris & Burrows, 1891
Type species
Pleurotoma meneghinii
Mayer, 1868
Synonyms

Oligotoma Bellardi, 1875 (Invalid: junior homonym of Oligotoma Westwood, 1836; Asthenotoma is a replacement name)

Description

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This genus, almost entirely represented by extinct species, is of slender form and elevated, evenly and gradually acuminate spire, conspicuous development of the spiral lyrae and short aperture. It should evidently be considered especially with Trypanotoma and allies, but it is somewhat of an annectant form, as the American species at least have true ribbing on the nepionic whorls which becomes completely lost on the larger volutions of the shell. It is therefore one of those puzzling exceptions which render an arrangement of the genera in a dichotomous table so difficult and unsatisfactory. The embryo in the type, Pleurotoma basteroti Desm., of the European Miocene, is said by Cossmann to be paucispiral, but the drawing shows a multispiral protoconch. This is, however, a matter of minor importance. The anal sinus is broad, sometimes very feeble and always median in position on the spire whorls though not identified with any particular one or more of the subequal and rather coarse flat spirals. The beak has no external oblique tumidity. There can be but little doubt, in view of geographical variations and wide distribution of this genus, that Endiatoma, of Cossmann, should be regarded as a synonym or as constituting a slightly differentiated section of Asthenotoma.[2]

Species

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Species within the genus Asthenotoma include:

Taxon inquirendum
  • Oligotoma sirpata Jousseaume, 1891
Synonyms

References

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  1. ^ Bouchet, P. (1970). Asthenotoma. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=224458 on 2016-02-08
  2. ^ Casey T.L. (1904) Notes on the Pleurotomidae with description of some new genera and species. Transactions of the Academy of Science of St. Louis, 14, 123–170   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ Gougerot, L., 1966. - Présentation de cinq espèces nouvelles et de nouveaux représentants de gastéropodes dans le Lutétien et le Bartonien du Bassin de Paris. Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France 7("1965"): 296-301, sér. 7 série
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