Velutininae, Gray, 1840

Fassio, Giulia, Stefani, Matteo, Russini, Valeria, Buge, Barbara, Bouchet, Philippe, Treneman, Nancy, Malaquias, Manuel António E., Schiaparelli, Stefano, Modica, Maria Vittoria & Oliverio, Marco, 2023, Neither slugs nor snails: a molecular reappraisal of the gastropod family Velutinidae, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 197 (4), pp. 924-964 : 943

Subfamily Velutininae

Velutininae are distributed in all Arctic and temperate areas. They have the same radular formula as Marseniopsinae and Hainotinae (2:1:1:1:2), but with a larger base on the lateral and central teeth. In this group, the jaws have a characteristic appearance, being composed of scale-like elements (as in Marseniopsinae ) presenting a denticulation on the masticatory side ( Fig. 11A, M ). Velutininae were thought to include all velutinid species with a shell completely or partly exposed (some with a small fissure in the centre of the dorsum). However, we found at least nine additional species, belonging to two new genera in subfamily Lamellariinae and one in Marseniopsinae , that possess a small fissure on the dorsal mantle, showing that this morphological character is not diagnostic at the subfamily level.

Figures

Figure 11. Velutinidae jaws. A, M, Marseniopsis mollis, CE 6152. B, N, O, Marsenina rhombica, BAU 2339. C, Limneria prolongata, BAU 4228. D, Calyptoconcha pellucida, BAU 3758. E, Variolipallium regium sp. nov., MNHN-IM-2013-69285, holotype. F, Variolipallium sp. (L10), MNHN-IM-2013-69280. G, Pacifica lentiginosa sp. nov., MNHN-IM-2009-16140, holotype.H, Pacifica sp. (L19), MNHN-IM-2009-16136.I,Djiboutia sp.(L22), MNHN-IM-2019-9053.J,Coriocella cf.jayi (L28), MNHN-IM-2009-16119. K, Lamellaria latens complex (L40), BAU 2536.2. L, Marsenia sp. (L45), MNHN-IM-2013-59960. Scale bars: H, M–O, 100 µm; A–G, I–L, 500 µm. For the sequenced specimens, the corresponding species code (see Fig. 3) is reported in parentheses.