Gastropod

Taxonomy

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Diagnostic Features

Coiled shell - planispiral or helical - consists of body whorl and spire

Mostly aragonitic shell

Shell consists of one large chamber (no septa)

Aperture

Siphonal notch

Way of life

Marine, non-marine, land-dwelling

Carnivorous, scavenging, deposit feeding and more

Advanced notes

Because of their conservative shell shape it is difficult to use gastropods as environmental or stratigraphic indicators.

Specimens

Browse gastropods

External links

Telling planispiral fossils apart