Oxygyrus inflatus Benson, 1835
This is the only species in the genus Oxygyrus and is easily distinguished by the spherical shape of the shell and the zig-zag ornamentation. Adult specimens also have an outer shell of flexible conchiolin.
Synonyms:
Atlanta bivonae Mandralisca, 1840
Atlanta rangi d'Orbigny, 1836
Atys globulinus Nordsieck, 1972
Oxygyrus rangii Gray, 1850
Oxygyrus keraudrenii
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Juvenile shell calcareous and spherical in shape. Whorls are involute (a new whorl envelopes previous whorls).
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The juvenile shell is covered with complex zig-zag ridges. The shell is transparent but may be purple-brown coloured.
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The adult shell grows over the juvenile shell and is composed of flexible, transparent conchiolin.
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The keel is also of conchiolin and is very tall.
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The adult shell including keel can reach 14 mm.
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Eye type c.
Similar species: None
Further Reading:
Seapy, R.R. 2011. Atlantidae. In: Tree of life web project. Available at http://tolweb.org/Atlantidae accessed 1 April 2017.
Seapy, R.R., Lalli, C.M., Wells, F., 2003. Heteropoda from Western Australian waters., in: The Marine Flora and Fauna of Dampier, Western Australia. Western Australian Museum, Perth, pp. 513–546.
Wall-Palmer, D., Burridge, A.K., Goetze, E., Stokvis, F., Janssen, A.W., Mekkes, L., Moreno-Alcántara, M., Bednaršek, N., Schiøtte, T., Vinther Sørensen, M., Smart, C.W., Peijnenburg, K.T.C.A. Biogeography and genetic diversity of the atlantid heteropods. Progress in Oceanography, 160:1–25. doi: 10.1016/j.pocean.2017.11.004
Wall-Palmer, D., Metcalfe, B., Leng, M.J., Sloane, H.J., Ganssen, G., Vinayachandran, P.N., Smart, C.W. Vertical distribution and diurnal migration of atlantid heteropods. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 587: 1–15. doi: 10.3354/meps12464.
Wall-Palmer, D., Smart, C.W., Kirby, R., Hart, M.B., Peijnenburg, K.T.C.A., Janssen, A. 2016. A review of the ecology, palaeontology and distribution of atlantid heteropods (Caenogastropoda: Pterotracheoidea: Atlantidae). Journal of Molluscan Studies, 1-14.
