Lukas VFN 🇪🇺

72-Million-Year-Old #Snail #Fossil Uncovered in Romania
https://www.sci.news/paleontology/ferussina-petofiana-12560.html

#Ferussina petofiana sp. n., the oldest representative of its subfamily from the Late #Cretaceous of Romania https://ojs.mtak.hu/index.php/actazool/article/view/11226

"A #NewSpecies of the extinct land snail genus Ferussina has been identified from a complete specimen found in #Hațeg Basin, #Romania. The new species is the oldest, as well as the easternmost representative of its genus."

#Animals #Snails #Molluscs #Invertebrates #Fossils

72-Million-Year-Old Snail Fossil Uncovered in Romania | Sci.News

A new species of the extinct land snail genus Ferussina has been identified from a complete specimen found in Hațeg Basin, Romania.

Sci.News: Breaking Science News
Dec 23, 2023 at 12:50pmWeb
Show threadThomas Hirsch [moved]Dec 23, 2023
@animalculum Is there an explanation of the weird orientation/chirality of the shell in the illustration?
Show threadLukas VFN 🇪🇺Dec 23, 2023

@relet I was not able find more about the reason for the shape.

In this paper: https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/50135/list/18/ they discuss it from a taxonomic perspective. Similar shape evolved multiple times independently and in various environments.

Some weird shapes of snail shells are thought to be defense against predators that have adaptations for getting snails out of typical shells.

The value of a single character: the Paleogene European land snail Ferussina Grateloup, 1827 is likely a cyclophorid (Gastropoda, Caenogastropoda)

Ferussina Grateloup, 1827 is a European Paleogene land snail genus, which is currently classified in its own family, the Ferussinidae Wenz, 1923 (1915), in the superfamily Cyclophoroidea. The shell of this genus is remarkable by its last quarter whorl turning towards the apex instead of away from it, which is an unusual trait in terrestrial snails. We show, however, that this trait has evolved at least nine times in terrestrial Eupulmonata and Caenogastropoda, and it does not justify distinction at the family level in any of the reported cases. This observation suggests the systematic position of Ferussina should not be based on the apexward-turning last quarter whorl alone but instead on the general morphology of the shell. As a result, we re-evaluate the systematic position of the Ferussinidae and treat it as a subfamily of the Cyclophoridae.

ZooKeys
Show threadLukas VFN 🇪🇺Dec 23, 2023
@relet at least that's what I remember from reading Spirals in Time by Helen Scales. This is pretty far from my field... too many cells =D
Show threadThomas Hirsch [moved]Dec 23, 2023
@animalculum Thank you! Yes, I see now that they mention an "upward whorl" or "upward aperture". I was just thinking if they illustrated it this way instead, they have to be pretty certain on where is up and down on a fossil, and where the body goes.