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Plesiothyreus rushii (Dall, 1889) Juvenile |
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Beach drift, Billy's Bay, St. Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica (2 mm.). Digital images by David Kirsh. |
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Along with a few dozen other limpet-like species, this
shell is placed in the family Phenacolepadidae, which, along with the true
nerites (Neritidae) and the small nerite-like Neritiliidae, comprise the
superfamily Neritoidea. The group can be traced back to the Paleozoic Era,
antedating the appearance of the dinosaurs. Mollusks with limpet-like shells have evolved on many separate occasions, e.g., Lee, 2011, in the course of the history of life on earth. |
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Lee, H.G., 2011. Amathina in the western Atlantic - or - What is Cyclothyca pacei? Shell-O-Gram 52(5): 5-7. September. <http://www.jaxshells.org/pdfs/sepoct11.pdf> |
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