Melanella

Melanella
	Melanella candida
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Eulimidae
Genus:	Melanella; Bowdich, 1822
Species
	See List of synonyms of Melanella
Synonyms
	Balcis Leach, 1847; Balcis (Balcis) Leach, 1847 junior subjective synonym; Euliamaustra Laseron, 1955; Eulima (Balcis); Eulimaustra Laseron, 1955; Melanella (Balcis) Leach, 1847; Melanella (Melanella) Bowdich, 1822;

Melanella is a genus of very small ectoparasitic sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs or micromolluscs in the family Eulimidae.^[1]

General characteristics

The shell is ovoid, with a distinctly elevated spire. The aperture is large, with its base somewhat produced and broadly rounded. The operculum is paucispiral, with a subspiral nucleus. ^[2]

The genus comprises white, polished shells with a produced body whorl and an inner lip appressed to the attenuated base throughout its entire length, or at least along most of it. The shells may be either straight or flexed. ^[3]

Species

The following species are recognised in the genus Melanella:^[1]

Melanella abida Dall, 1927
Melanella acanthyllis (R. B. Watson, 1883)
Melanella acicula (A. Gould, 1849)
Melanella acuformis (G. Nevill & H. Nevill, 1875)
Melanella adamantina (de Folin, 1867)
Melanella adiastalta Souza, Pimenta & J. Barros, 2021
Melanella aequatorialis (Thiele, 1925)
Melanella aethiopica (Thiele, 1925)
Melanella aethria (Melvill, 1918)
Melanella agulhasensis (Thiele, 1925)
Melanella alba (da Costa, 1778)
Melanella alertae (Dell, 1956)
Melanella alfredensis Bartsch, 1915
Melanella algoensis (E. A. Smith, 1901)
Melanella amabilis (Brazier, 1877)
Melanella amblia (R. B. Watson, 1883)
Melanella amblytera (Verrill & Bush, 1900)
Melanella ameliae Engl, 2007
Melanella anachorea Dall, 1927
Melanella anapetes Souza, Pimenta & J. Barros, 2021
Melanella antarctica (Strebel, 1908)
Melanella archeyi (Finlay, 1928)
†Melanella arenularia (Gougerot in Perreau, 1969)
Melanella arleyi Espinosa, Ortea & Magaña, 2001
Melanella atlantica (E. A. Smith, 1890)
Melanella attenuata (G. B. Sowerby II, 1866)
Melanella aucklandica (Suter, 1909)
Melanella augur (Angas, 1865)
†Melanella badenia (Laws, 1939)
Melanella baldra Bartsch, 1917
Melanella becki (Turton, 1932)
Melanella berryi Bartsch, 1917
Melanella bicurvata (Chapman & Crespin, 1928)
†Melanella bipartita (Mörch, 1859)
Melanella borealis (Bartsch, 1917)
Melanella boscheineni Engl, 2004
Melanella boscii (Payraudeau, 1826)
Melanella bovicornu (Pilsbry, 1905)
Melanella breviuscula (Dunker, 1875)
Melanella brunnimaculata (Kay, 1979)
Melanella bryani Pilsbry, 1918
Melanella callistemma Dall, 1927
Melanella candida (Marrat, 1880)
†Melanella carinata Garvie, 2025
Melanella catalinensis Bartsch, 1917
Melanella chariessa (Verrill, 1884)
Melanella chydaea (Watson, 1883)
Melanella cifara Bartsch, 1915
†Melanella claibornia K. van W. Palmer, 1937
Melanella clavula (A. Adams, 1861)
†Melanella collator (Laws, 1944)
Melanella compacta (P. P. Carpenter, 1864)
Melanella compactilis (Locard, 1891)
Melanella conoidalis (G. B. Sowerby II, 1865)
Melanella conoidea (Kurtz & W. Stimpson, 1851)
Melanella convexa (E. A. Smith, 1907)
Melanella corintonis (Hertlein & A. M. Strong, 1951)
Melanella cosmia Bartsch, 1917
Melanella costellata (Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1897)
Melanella cumingii (A. Adams, 1854)
Melanella cunaeformis (May, 1915)
Melanella cuspidata (A. Adams, 1854)
Melanella cyclopia Scuderi, Tisselli & Micali, 2022
Melanella cylindrica (Thiele, 1925)
Melanella dalli Bartsch, 1917
Melanella debilis (A. Adams, 1861)
Melanella decagyra (Melvill & Standen, 1903)
Melanella decipiens (Hedley, 1899)
Melanella densicostata Bouchet & Warén, 1986
†Melanella deroeveri Beets, 1942
†Melanella distorta (Defrance, 1823)
Melanella doederleini (Brusina, 1886)
Melanella draconis Bartsch, 1917
†Melanella dubusi (Cossmann & Pissarro, 1902)
Melanella dufresnii Bowdich, 1822
Melanella eburnea (Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1824)
Melanella elenensis (Bartsch, 1924)
Melanella elsa Thiele, 1930
Melanella eulimoides (C. B. Adams, 1850)
Melanella exasperata (Preston, 1905)
Melanella exilis (Pease, 1863) (accepted > unreplaced junior homonym, invalid; based on preoccupied original name)
†Melanella exilis (Gabb, 1860)
†Melanella extremis (Aldrich, 1911)
Melanella exulata (E. A. Smith, 1915)
Melanella falcata (Carpenter, 1865)
Melanella fasciata (R. B. Watson, 1883)
Melanella flexuosa (A. Adams, 1854)
Melanella frielei (H. K. Jordan, 1895)
Melanella gagei Bouchet & Warén, 1986
†Melanella geoffreyi (Laws, 1936)
Melanella glypta Bouchet & Warén, 1986
Melanella gracilis (C. B. Adams, 1850)
Melanella gradata (Cotton & Godfrey, 1932)
Melanella grandis (A. Adams, 1853)
Melanella gratiosa (Thiele, 1925)
Melanella grippi (Bartsch, 1917)
Melanella guenteri Engl, 2004
Melanella hadalis Knudsen, 1964
Melanella halia Bartsch, 1917
Melanella halorhaphe (Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1896)
Melanella hastata (G. B. Sowerby I, 1834)
Melanella hebes (R. B. Watson, 1883)
Melanella hemphilli Bartsch, 1917
Melanella hians (R. B. Watson, 1883)
Melanella hypsela (Verrill & K. J. Bush, 1900)
Melanella ima Pilsbry, 1918
Melanella indica (Preston, 1905)
Melanella insculpta Bouchet & Warén, 1986
Melanella iotoides Bartsch, 1916
Melanella ira Dall, 1927
Melanella jeffreysii (Tryon, 1886)
Melanella jucunda (Thiele, 1925)
Melanella junieri Espinosa, Ortea & Magaña, 2006
Melanella kahoolawensis Pilsbry, 1917
†Melanella kaiparaensis (Laws, 1939)
Melanella kanaka Pilsbry, 1917
Melanella karolinae Engl, 2006
Melanella kermadecensis W. R. B. Oliver, 1915
Melanella kuronamako (Habe, 1952)
Melanella lactea (A. Adams, 1854)
Melanella lastra Bartsch, 1917
Melanella laurae (Friele, 1886)
†Melanella lautoides Finlay & Marwick, 1937
Melanella letsonae Pilsbry, 1917
Melanella levantina (Oliverio, Buzzurro & R. Villa, 1994)
Melanella lubrica (Monterosato, 1890)
Melanella luchuana (Pilsbry, 1901)
Melanella lucida (A. E. Verrill, 1884)
Melanella luminosa B. A. Marshall, 1997
Melanella lunata Pilsbry, 1918
Melanella magnifica (Bartsch, 1915)
Melanella major (G. B. Sowerby I, 1834)
Melanella mamilla (May, 1915)
Melanella maoria (Powell, 1940)
Melanella martarum Souza, Asorey & Sellanes, 2024
Melanella martinii (A. Adams, 1854)
Melanella martynjordani (H. K. Jordan, 1895)
Melanella marviva Espinosa, Ortea & Magaña, 2006
Melanella maui (Dell, 1952)
Melanella micans (P. P. Carpenter, 1865)
Melanella microsculpta Bouchet & Warén, 1986
Melanella mimus Pilsbry, 1918
Melanella minor (Pallary, 1904)
Melanella modesta (Thiele, 1925)
Melanella modesta (homonym) Thiele, 1930
Melanella montereyensis Bartsch, 1917
Melanella monterosatoi (Monterosato, 1890)
Melanella muelleriae (Sturany, 1903)
Melanella mundula (A. Adams, 1861)
†Melanella musta (Yokoyama, 1928)
Melanella myriotrochi Bouchet & Warén, 1986
Melanella nilae Engl, 2006
Melanella nisonida (Melvill, 1906)
Melanella obtusa (Laseron, 1955)
Melanella obtusoapicata Bouchet & Warén, 1986
Melanella ochsneri Bartsch, 1917
Melanella odontoidea (A. Adams, 1861)
Melanella ogasawarana (Pilsbry, 1905)
Melanella oldroydae Bartsch, 1917
Melanella oleacea (Kurtz & W. Stimpson, 1851)
Melanella olssoni (Bartsch, 1924)
Melanella opaca (G. B. Sowerby II, 1865)
Melanella opalina (J. T. Marshall, 1901)
Melanella ophiodon Dall, 1927
Melanella orientalis Agamennone, Micali & Siragusa, 2020
Melanella orphanensis A. H. Clarke, 1974
Melanella orthophyes (Sturany, 1903)
Melanella otagoensis (Powell, 1927)
Melanella oxyacme (Suter, 1908)
Melanella oxytata (R. B. Watson, 1883)
Melanella pandata (A. Adams, 1861)
Melanella paraabida Souza, Pimenta & J. Barros, 2021
Melanella parallela Dall, 1927
†Melanella parviapertura Landau, La Perna & Marquet, 2006
†Melanella patutahiensis Marwick, 1931
Melanella paxillus (Hedley, 1904)
Melanella peninsularis Bartsch, 1917
Melanella penna Dall, 1927
†Melanella pepediazi Landau, La Perna & Marquet, 2006
Melanella perplexa W. R. B. Oliver, 1915
Melanella persimilis (Kuroda & Habe, 1971)
Melanella petitiana (Brusina, 1869)
†Melanella pinguicula (Chapman & Gabriel, 1914)
Melanella pisinna Rehder, 1980
Melanella planisutis Bouchet & Warén, 1986
†Melanella plioiberica Landau, La Perna & Marquet, 2006
Melanella polita (Linnaeus, 1758)
†Melanella polygyra (Charlesworth, 1851)
†Melanella pontilis P. A. Maxwell, 1992
Melanella praecurta (Pallary, 1904)
Melanella producta (P. P. Carpenter, 1863)
Melanella pseudoglabra (Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1912)
Melanella puhana (Dell, 1956)
Melanella reticulata Bouchet & Warén, 1986
Melanella retrorsa (G. B. Sowerby II, 1865)
†Melanella retusa (Pezant, 1911)
Melanella richardi (Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1896)
Melanella robusta (A. Adams, 1861)
Melanella roegerae (Cotton & Godfrey, 1932)
Melanella salvadori Castellanos, Rolán & Bartolotta, 1987
Melanella sankurieae Engl, 2004
Melanella sansibarica (Thiele, 1925)
Melanella sarissa (R. B. Watson, 1883)
Melanella scarifata Gofas & Rueda, 2014
†Melanella seguenzai Di Geronimo & La Perna, 1999
Melanella shibana (Yokoyama, 1927)
Melanella siberutensis (Thiele, 1925)
Melanella similior Bouchet & Warén, 1986
†Melanella similis (d'Orbigny, 1852)
Melanella solida (G. B. Sowerby II, 1865)
Melanella solidula (A. Adams & Reeve, 1850)
Melanella soliduloides (Habe, 1951)
Melanella solitaria (E. A. Smith, 1915)
†Melanella sororcula (Wrigley, 1945)
†Melanella sowerbyi (Newton, 1891)
Melanella spina (O. Boettger, 1893)
Melanella spinosa W. R. B. Oliver, 1915
Melanella spiridioni (Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1896)
Melanella stalioi (Brusina, 1869)
Melanella stamina Dall, 1927
Melanella subantarctica (Strebel, 1908)
†Melanella subemarginata (Deshayes, 1862)
Melanella subula (A. Adams, 1861)
†Melanella sulculata (Wrigley, 1945)
Melanella tanabensis Takano, Tanaka & Kano, 2019
Melanella teinostoma (A. Adams, 1854)
Melanella teramachii (Habe, 1952)
Melanella thalia Bartsch, 1915
Melanella thersites (P. P. Carpenter, 1864)
Melanella tia (Bartsch, 1926)
Melanella tortuosa (A. Adams & Reeve, 1850)
Melanella townsendi Bartsch, 1917
Melanella translucens (Monterosato, 1890)
Melanella trunca (R. B. Watson, 1897)
Melanella truncata (Suter, 1908)
Melanella turbonilloides Bouchet & Warén, 1986
Melanella turrita Bouchet & Warén, 1986
†Melanella tutamoensis Marwick, 1931
Melanella variabilis (Schepman, 1913)
Melanella vegrandis (Murdoch & Suter, 1906)
Melanella versa Dall, 1927
†Melanella waiaotea (Laws, 1941)
†Melanella waikomitica (Laws, 1939)
†Melanella wareni Landau, La Perna & Marquet, 2006
Melanella yamazii (Habe, 1952)
Melanella zugnigae Espinosa, Ortea & Magaña, 2001

The Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database also includes the following species with names in current use^[4]

Melanella australiensis (Thiele, 1930)
Melanella campyla (Watson, 1883)
Melanella carneola (Gould, 1861 in 1859–61)
Melanella curvata (A. Adams, 1861-b)
Melanella dentaliopsis (A. Adams, 1861-b)
Melanella flexa (A. Adams, 1861-b)
Melanella labiosa (Sowerby II, 1834-b)
Melanella nivea (A. Adams, 1861): species inquirenda
Melanella oblonga (Boettger)
Melanella reclinata (A. Adams, 1861)(uncertain > unassessed, use in recent literature not established by editor)
Melanella scitula (A. Adams, 1861-b) (uncertain > unassessed, use in recent literature not established by editor)
Melanella semitorta (A. Adams, 1861-b) (uncertain > unassessed, use in recent literature not established by editor)
Melanella stenostoma (A. Adams, 1861-b)
Melanella stylata (A. Adams, 1861-b)
Melanella valida (A. Adams, 1861-b) (uncertain > unassessed, use in recent literature not established by editor)
Melanella venusta (Pease, 1868-b)

Synonyms

See List of synonyms of Melanella

References

1 2 Gofas, S. (2011). Melanella Bowdich, 1822. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137978 on 04 December 2022
↑ [Tryon, George Washington. Manual of Conchology, Structural and Systematic: With Illustrations of the Species. Vol. 4. Author, Academy of Natural Sciences, 1882: p. 252]
↑ Bartsch, P. (1917). "A monograph of west American melanellid mollusks". Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 53 (2207): 302. Retrieved 24 August 2026. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
↑ OBIS : Melanella

Leach, 1847 [in Gray] Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 20: 271; Placed on the Official List by Opinion 1739, 1993, Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, 50(3): 242
Warén, A. (1984). "A generic revision of the family Eulimidae (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia)". Journal of Molluscan Studies. suppl. 13: 56.
Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 180–213

External links

Bowdich, T.E. 1822. Elements of Conchology, including the fossil genera and animals. Part 1. Univalves. Paris : Smith pp. i–xi, 14–73, index 1–3, 19 pls, 2 tables
Gray, J. E. (1847). A list of the genera of recent Mollusca, their synonyma and types. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. (1847) 15: 129-219
Laseron, C. 1955. Revision of the New South Wales eulimoid shells. The Australian Zoologist 12(2): 83–107, pls 1–3, figs 1–78 [85–86, 101] [Euliamaustra is an alternative original spelling (p. 85); spelling Eulimaustra selected by First Reviser action by McMichael & Whitley, 1961, The Marine Zoologist, 1(8): 124]
Serge GOFAS, Ángel A. LUQUE, Joan Daniel OLIVER, José TEMPLADO & Alberto SERRA (2021) - The Mollusca of Galicia Bank (NE Atlantic Ocean); European Journal of Taxonomy 785: 1–114
Souza, L. S.; Pimenta, A. D.; Barros, J. C. N. (2021). "Revision of the bathyal Eulimidae (Gastropoda, Caenogastropoda) from off Northeast Brazil". Zootaxa. 4927 (4): 478–479. Retrieved 9 August 2026.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[WoRMS-1] 1 2 Gofas, S. (2011). Melanella Bowdich, 1822. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137978 on 04 December 2022

[2] [Tryon, George Washington. Manual of Conchology, Structural and Systematic: With Illustrations of the Species. Vol. 4. Author, Academy of Natural Sciences, 1882: p. 252]

[3] Bartsch, P. (1917). "A monograph of west American melanellid mollusks". Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 53 (2207): 302. Retrieved 24 August 2026. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[4] OBIS : Melanella

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