Provanna

Genus of gastropods From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

Quick facts Scientific classification, Type species ...
Provanna
Temporal range: Cretaceous-Recent
Provanna hirokoae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: incertae sedis
Superfamily: Abyssochrysoidea
Family: Provannidae
Genus: Provanna
Dall, 1918
Type species
Trichotropis (Provanna) lomana Dall, 1918
Synonyms[1]

Trichotropis (Provanna) Dall, 1918 (original rank)

Close

The species was named after Dall's first wife.

This is a very old genus with species already existing in Cretaceous seep deposits off Japan (93 - 100 million years ago). The Caribbean and the Pacific fauna were isolated about 3 million years ago by the closure of the Central American Isthmus.

Description

The apical whorls of the protoconch are lacking through decollation. The opening is then sealed with a calcareous plug. The sculpture of the ovate fusiform shell shows scattered sigmoidal axial ribs that are crossed by spiral cords. The whorls are broad.

Habitat

They are common in hydrothermal vents, hydrocarbon cold seeps and (more rarely) on deep-water food-falls, depending on the species. Most species feed on filamentous bacteria, while others feed on detritus.

Species

Provanna alexi

Species within the genus Provanna include:

Several fossil species have been described, predominantly identified from hydrocarbon seep deposits (Saether et al., 2010), including:

  • Provanna antiqua Squires & Goedert, 1995 [20]
  • Provanna marshalli Saether, Little & Campbell, 2010
  • Provanna nakagawaensis Kaim, Jenkins & Hikida, 2009
  • Provanna tappuensis Kaim, Jenkins & Warén, 2008

There also are several fossil species known, but not formally described and named, from Central America, Japan, and possibly the Philippines (see Saether et al., 2010).

Species brought into synonymy

References

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