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Mollusca: Gastropods

An Illustration by Tyler Ray Fewell of a Silurian Poleumita discorus gastropod based on specimens of Poleumita discorus and other closely related species from the Chicago area and Much Wenlock England.
An Illustration by Tyler Ray Fewell of a Silurian Poleumita discorus gastropod based on specimens of Poleumita discorus and other closely related species from the Chicago area and Much Wenlock England.

GASTROPODS have coiled shells and are commonly known as snails. Today they live on land, in fresh water, and in seawater. Gastropods crawl about on a large, sticky foot (reconstructed in figure 2b). Some gastropods filter food from the water, some graze on plants, and some are carnivores that eat other animals. It is usually not possible to determine which of these feeding methods were used by Silurian gastropods. | At least 17 species of gastropods lived as dwellers in the Silurian reefs of Wisconsin. Three of these species, shown above, have been placed in the Silurian reef diorama. One of these species is sometimes found on crinoids (figure 1a) and may have fed on the crinoid's waste products.

Kingdom Animalia:
Phylum: Mollusca:

Class: Subclass: Order: Family: Genus and species

Gastropoda: Prosobranchia: Caenogastropoda: Subulitidae: Fusispira ventricosa (Hall)
Gastropoda: Prosobranchia: Bellerophontida: Bellerophontidae: Bellerophon sp.
Gastropoda: Prosobranchia: Bellerophontida: Bucaniidae: Tremanotus Alpheus Hall
Gastropoda: Eogastropoda: Euomphalina: Platyceratidae: Cyclonemae levata Hall
Gastropoda: Eogastropoda: Euomphalina: Platyceratidae: Cyclonema pauper Hall
Gastropoda: Eogastropoda: Euomphalina: Platyceratidae: Platyceras sp.
Gastropoda: Eogastropoda: Euomphalina: Holopeidae: Holopea guelphensis Billings
Gastropoda: Eogastropoda: Euomphalina: Holopeidae: Holopea sp. 1
Gastropoda: Eogastropoda: Euomphalina: Euomphalidae: Straparollus mopsus Hall
Gastropoda: Orthogastropoda: Murchisoniina: Eotomariidae: Eotomaria sp.
Gastropoda: Orthogastropoda: Murchisoniina: Lophospiridae: Eunema fatua Hall
Gastropoda: Orthogastropoda: Murchisoniina: Loxonematidae: Loxonema leda Hall
Gastropoda: Orthogastropoda: Murchisoniina: Murchisonioidea: Murchisonia conradi Hall
Gastropoda: Orthogastropoda: Murchisoniina: Murchisonioidea: Murchisonia laphami Hall
Gastropoda: Orthogastropoda: Archaeogastropoda: Pseudophoridae: "Pleurotomaria" halei Hall
Gastropoda: Orthogastropoda: Archaeogastropoda: Pseudophoridae: "Pleurotomaria" idia Hall
Gastropoda: Orthogastropoda: Archaeogastropoda: Pseudophoridae: "Pleurotomaria" occidens Hall

Photo Gallery

Examples of Silurian Gastropod
© The Field Museum - CC BY-NC
Examples of Silurian gastropod.
© The Field Museum - CC BY-NC
Examples of Silurian gastropods.
© The Field Museum - CC BY
Silurian Reef Fossil illustration, Plate 09, Fig. 08, Wisconsin Geology Survey
© The Field Museum - CC BY-NC
Silurian Reef Fossil illustration, Plate 09, Fig. 07, Wisconsin Geology Survey
© The Field Museum - CC BY-NC
Silurian Reef Fossil illustration, Plate 09, Fig. 06, Wisconsin Geology Survey
© The Field Museum - CC BY-NC
Silurian Reef Fossil illustration, Plate 09, Fig. 05, Wisconsin Geology Survey
© The Field Museum - CC BY-NC
Silurian Reef Fossil illustration, Plate 18, Fig. 05, Wisconsin Geology Survey
© The Field Museum - CC BY-NC
Silurian Reef Fossil illustration, Plate 09, Fig. 04, Wisconsin Geology Survey
© The Field Museum - CC BY-NC
Silurian Reef Fossil illustration, Plate 09, Fig. 03, Wisconsin Geology Survey
© The Field Museum - CC BY-NC
Silurian Reef Fossil illustration, Plate 10, Fig. 03, Wisconsin Geology Survey
© The Field Museum - CC BY-NC
Silurian Reef Fossil illustration, Plate 09, Fig. 02, Wisconsin Geology Survey
© The Field Museum - CC BY-NC
An Illustration by Mary Williams of a Silurian cyclonema gastropod based on several specimens from theSilurian reef fossils of the Chicago area collection .
© The Field Museum - CC BY-NC
An Illustration by Tyler Ray Fewell of a Silurian Poleumita discorus gastropod based on specimens of Poleumita discorus and other closely related species from the Chicago area and Much Wenlock England.
© The Field Museum - CC BY-NC

Taxonomy