Pleurotomella is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Raphitomidae.
Description (Original description by Verrill) As at present understood, this genus is intended to include those species which have a rather broad and very distinct subsutural band, crossed by excurved lines of growth corresponding to the form of the posterior sinus of the lip, which is situated a little below the suture and is always pretty well-developed, but is sometimes broad and shallow, and at other times narrower and very deep. The outer lip is always thin and sharp, without any appearance of a varix, nor is there any deposit of callus on the body whorl, in front of the aperture. The siphonal canal is well developed, generally constricted at the base and somewhat elongated, and usually but slightly curved. In a few of the species, doubtfully referred to hie genus, it is short and wide. The columella-margin is more or less sinuous. The protoconch differs in sculpture, and usually in color, from the rest of the whorls, and is generally minutely cancellated by fine raised lines running obliquely in opposite directions. The remaining whorls are elegantly sculptured by longitudinal ribs and revolving cinguli, and usually have a distinct shoulder or carina, which is frequently nodulous, below the subsutural band. The animal is destitute of an operculum, and, in all the species hitherto examined, is without eyes. The dentition consists of rather strong uncini, usually with a barbed tip and broad base.Verrill A. E. (1884). Second catalogue of mollusca recently added to the fauna of the New England Coast and the adjacent parts of the Atlantic, consisting mostly of deep sea species, with notes on others previously recorded. Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, 6(1): 139-294, pl. 28-32
(Description by Dall) The larval shell is multispiral. The adult shell shows a small blunt protoconch of several (usually) swollen whorls, closely arcuately axially ribbed. This protoconch is dark and sculptured with criss-cross lines, strongly contrasting with the rest of the shell. The succeeding short-fusiform whorls have an axial and (fainter) spiral sculpture. The anal sulcus is close to the suture, deep and wide, with a distinct fasciole. The siphonal canal is very short, narrow, recurved. The outer lip is thin, simple and sharp. The columella is thin, gyrate, anteriorly obliquely truncate, almost pervious. The animal is blind and lacks an operculumW.H. Dall (1908) Reports on the Mollusca and Brachiopoda, Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. vol. 43
Species Species within the genus Pleurotomella include:
Pleurotomella aculeata (Webster, 1906) Pleurotomella aculeola (Hedley, 1915) Pleurotomella allisoni Rehder & Ladd, 1973 Pleurotomella amphiblestrum (Melvill, 1904) Pleurotomella amplecta (Hedley, 1922) Pleurotomella anceyi (Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1897) Pleurotomella annulata Thiele, 1912 Pleurotomella anomalapex Powell, 1951 † Pleurotomella balcombensis (Powell, 1944) † Pleurotomella bateroensis Lozouet, 1999 Pleurotomella bathybia Strebel, 1908 Pleurotomella bathysinuata Criscione & Hallan, 2025 † Pleurotomella bellistriata Clark, 1895 Pleurotomella benedicti Verrill, 1884 † Pleurotomella bezanconi Cossmann, 1902 † Pleurotomella bezoyensis Lozouet, 2017 Pleurotomella borbonica J.C. Melvill, 1923 Pleurotomella brenchleyi (Angas, 1877) Pleurotomella buccinoides (Shuto, 1983) Pleurotomella bullata (Laseron, 1954) Pleurotomella bureaui (Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1897) Pleurotomella cala (R. B. Watson, 1886) Pleurotomella capricornea (Hedley, 1922) † Pleurotomella chapplei (Powell, 1944) Pleurotomella circumvoluta (Watson, 1881) Pleurotomella clathurellaeformis Schepman, 1913 Pleurotomella coelorhaphe (Dautzenberg & Fischer H., 1896) Pleurotomella compacta (Hedley, 1922) † Pleurotomella contigua (Powell, 1944) Pleurotomella corrida Dall, 1927 † Pleurotomella cuspidata (Chapple, 1934) Pleurotomella deliciosa Thiele, 1912 Pleurotomella demosia (Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1896) † Pleurotomella dimeres (Cossmann, 1889) Pleurotomella dinora Dall, 1908 Pleurotomella ecphora (Melvill, 1904) Pleurotomella elisa Thiele, 1925 Pleurotomella elusiva (Dall, 1881) Pleurotomella endeavourensis Dell, 1990 Pleurotomella enderbyensis Powell, 1958 Pleurotomella enora (Dall, 1908) †Pleurotomella eomargaritata Lozouet, 2015 † Pleurotomella esmeralda Olsson, 1964 † Pleurotomella espisbosensis Lozouet, 2015 Pleurotomella eulimenes (Melvill, 1904) Pleurotomella eurybrocha (Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1896) Pleurotomella evadne Melvill, 1912 Pleurotomella expeditionis (Dell, 1956) Pleurotomella formosa (Jeffreys, 1867) † Pleurotomella fragilis (Deshayes, 1834) Pleurotomella frigida Thiele, 1912 Pleurotomella gibbera Bouchet & Warén, 1980 † Pleurotomella goniocolpa (Cossmann, 1889) † Pleurotomella granulatorappardi Janssen, 1979 Pleurotomella granuliapicata Okutani, 1964 † Pleurotomella grimmertingenensis Marquet, Lenaerts & Laporte, 2016 † Pleurotomella guespellensis (Cossmann, 1889) Pleurotomella hadria (Dall, 1889) Pleurotomella hayesiana (Angas, 1871) Pleurotomella helena Thiele, 1925 Pleurotomella herminea Dall, 1919 Pleurotomella hermione (Dall, 1919) Pleurotomella hypermnestra Melvill, 1912 Pleurotomella imitator (Dall, 1927) Pleurotomella innocentia (Dell, 1990) † Pleurotomella insignifica (Heilprin, 1879) † Pleurotomella intermedia Gougerot & Le Renard, 1982 Pleurotomella ipara (Dall, 1881) † Pleurotomella irminonvilla Pacaud, 2021 Pleurotomella itama (Melvill, 1906) Pleurotomella lottae Verrill, 1885: Pleurotomella lucasii (Melvill, J.C., 1904) Pleurotomella maitasi Engl, 2008 Pleurotomella marshalli (Sykes, 1906) † Pleurotomella megapex Lozouet, 1999 Pleurotomella minuta Sysoev & Ivanov, 1985 † Pleurotomella neerrepenensis Marquet, Lenaerts & Laporte, 2016 Pleurotomella nipri (Numanami, 1996) Pleurotomella normalis (Dall, 1881) Pleurotomella obesa Bouchet & Warén, 1980 † Pleurotomella obesula Landau, Harzhauser & Giannuzzi-Savelli, 2022 Pleurotomella ohlini (Strebel, 1905) Pleurotomella orariana (Dall, 1908) † Pleurotomella orthocolpa Cossmann, 1902 Pleurotomella packardii Verrill, 1872 Pleurotomella pandionis (A. E. Verrill, 1880) Pleurotomella papyracea (Watson, 1881) Pleurotomella parella Dall, 1908 Pleurotomella perpauxilla (Watson, 1881) Pleurotomella petiti Kantor, Harasewych & Puillandre, 2016 † Pleurotomella polycolpa (Cossmann, 1889) Pleurotomella porcellana (Watson, 1886) † Pleurotomella protocarinata Lozouet, 2017 † Pleurotomella protocostulata Lozouet, 2017 Pleurotomella pudens (Watson, 1881) Pleurotomella puella Thiele, 1925 † Pleurotomella quoniamensis (Boussac in Périer, 1941) † Pleurotomella rappardi (von Koenen, 1867) † Pleurotomella rappardiformis Lozouet, 2017 Pleurotomella rossi Dell, 1990 † Pleurotomella rothauseni (Gürs, 1998) Pleurotomella rugosa (Laseron, 1954) Pleurotomella sandersoni Verrill, 1884 Pleurotomella sansibarica Thiele, 1925 Pleurotomella sepulta (Laseron, 1954) Pleurotomella siberutensis (Thiele, 1925) Pleurotomella simillima Thiele, 1912 Pleurotomella spicula (Laseron, 1954) † Pleurotomella spinosa Lozouet, 2015 † Pleurotomella striarella (Lamarck, 1804) † Pleurotomella striatulata Lamarck, 1822 Pleurotomella thalassica Dall, 1919 Pleurotomella tippetti Kantor, Harasewych & Puillandre, 2016 † Pleurotomella turrita Landau, Harzhauser & Giannuzzi-Savelli, 2022 Pleurotomella ursula Thiele, 1925 † Pleurotomella vagans (Koch & Wiechmann, 1872) Pleurotomella vaginata Dall, 1927 Pleurotomella vera Thiele, 1925 Pleurotomella vercoi (G.B. Sowerby III, 1896) † Pleurotomella verticicostata Brébion, 1992 Pleurotomella virginalis Thiele, 1925 Pleurotomella ybessa Figueira & Absalão, 2012
Synonyms
Pleurotomella abbreviata Schepman, 1913: synonym of Buccinaria abbreviata (Schepman, 1913) (original combination) Pleurotomella abyssorum (Locard, 1897): synonym of Gymnobela abyssorum (Locard, 1897) Pleurotomella adelpha Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1896: synonym of Phymorhynchus sulciferus (Bush, 1893) Pleurotomella affinis Schepman, 1913: synonym of Cryptodaphne affinis (Schepman, 1913) (original combination) Pleurotomella agassizi (Verrill & S. Smith, 1880): synonym of Gymnobela agassizii (Verrill & S. Smith [in Verrill], 1880) Pleurotomella aguayoi (Carcelles, 1953): synonym of Austrotoma aguayoi (Carcelles, 1953) Pleurotomella aperta Dall, 1927: synonym of Teretiopsis thaumastopsis (Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1896) Pleurotomella aquilarum engonia Verrill, 1884: synonym of Gymnobela engonia Verrill, 1884 Pleurotomella araneosa (Watson, 1881): synonym of Xanthodaphne araneosa (R. B. Watson, 1881) Pleurotomella argeta Dall, 1890: synonym of Xanthodaphne argeta (Dall, 1890) Pleurotomella atlantica Locard, 1897: synonym of Kryptos koehleri (Locard, 1896) Pleurotomella atypha Bush, 1893: synonym of Gymnobela atypha (Bush, 1893) (original combination) Pleurotomella bairdi [sic]: synonym of Gymnobela bairdii (Verrill & S. Smith [in Verrill], 1884) (misspelling) Pleurotomella bairdi Verrill & Smith, 1884: synonym of Gymnobela bairdii (Verrill & S. Smith [in Verrill], 1884) Pleurotomella bandella (Dall, 1881): synonym of Benthomangelia bandella (Dall, 1881) Pleurotomella bathyiberica Fechter, 1976: synonym of Theta vayssierei (Dautzenberg, 1925) Pleurotomella biconica Schepman, 1913: synonym of Acamptodaphne biconica (Schepman, 1913) (original combination) Pleurotomella bruneri Verrill & S. Smith [in Verrill], 1884: synonym of Xanthodaphne bruneri (Verrill & S. Smith [in Verrill], 1884) (original combination) Pleurotomella bullioides Sykes, 1906: synonym of Lusitanops bullioides (Sykes, 1906) (original combination) Pleurotomella cancellata Sysoev, 1988: synonym of Fusobela cancellata (Sysoev, 1988) Pleurotomella castanea Dall, 1896: synonym of Phymorhynchus castaneus (Dall, 1896) (original combination) Pleurotomella catasarca Dall, 1889: synonym of Theta chariessa (R. B. Watson, 1881) Pleurotomella catharinae Verrill & S. Smith, 1884: synonym of Famelica catharinae (Verrill & S. Smith [in Verrill], 1884) Pleurotomella ceramensis Schepman, 1913: synonym of Gymnobela ceramensis (Schepman, 1913) (original combination) Pleurotomella chariessa (Watson, 1881): synonym of Theta chariessa (R. B. Watson, 1881) Pleurotomella clarinda Dall, 1908: synonym of Phymorhynchus clarinda (Dall, 1908) (original combination) Pleurotomella climacella Dall, 1895: synonym of Belomitra climacella (Dall, 1895) (original combination) † Pleurotomella cossmanni L. Morellet & J. Morellet, 1946: synonym of † Pleurotomella irminonvilla Pacaud, 2021 (invalid: junior homonym of Pleurotomella cossmanni Koperberg, 1931; P. irminonvilla is a replacement name) Pleurotomella costlowi Petuch, 1974: synonym of Bathybela tenelluna (Locard, 1897) Pleurotomella curta (A. E. Verrill, 1884): synonym of Gymnobela aquilarum (R. B. Watson, 1882) Pleurotomella dalli Bush, 1893: synonym of Corinnaeturris leucomata (Dall, 1881) Pleurotomella demulcata Locard, 1897: synonym of Kryptos koehleri (Locard, 1896) Pleurotomella diastropha Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1896: synonym of Pleurotomella packardii packardii Verrill, A.E., 1872 Pleurotomella diomedae Verrill, 1884: synonym of Benthomangelia antonia (Dall, 1881) Pleurotomella diomedeae Verrill & S. Smith [in Verrill], 1884: synonym of Benthomangelia antonia (Dall, 1881) Pleurotomella dubia Schepman, 1913: synonym of Gymnobela dubia (Schepman, 1913) (original combination) Pleurotomella ebor Okutani, 1968: synonym of Cryptomella ebor (Okutani, 1968) (original combination) Pleurotomella edgariana (Dall, 1889): synonym of Gymnobela edgariana (Dall, 1889)