Gigantopelta aegis

Gigantopelta aegis is a species of deep sea snail from hydrothermal vents, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Peltospiridae.[1]

Gigantopelta aegis
Aggregation of Gigantopelta aegis with other animals, such as scaly-foot gastropods (black snails).
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Vetigastropoda
Superfamily:	Neomphaloidea
Family:	Peltospiridae
Genus:	Gigantopelta
Species:	G. aegis
Binomial name
Gigantopelta aegis Chen, Linse, Roterman, Copley & Rogers, 2015[1]

Taxonomy

It was described as a new species within new genus Gigantopelta in 2015 and it was classified within the family Peltospiridae.[1]

Distribution

This species is known from its type locality only: Longqi hydrothermal vent field in Southwest Indian Ridge, 37°47.03′S 49°38.96′E.[1]

Description

The width of the shell is 4.84–44.83 mm.[1] Valeues of δ¹³C were −26.42‰ ± 0.67.[2]

References

1. Chen C., Linse K., Roterman C. N., Copley J. T. & Rogers A. D. (2015). "A new genus of large hydrothermal vent‐endemic gastropod (Neomphalina: Peltospiridae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 175(2), 319-335. doi:10.1111/zoj.12279.
2. Copley, J. T.; Marsh, L.; Glover, A. G.; Hühnerbach, V.; Nye, V. E.; Reid, W. D. K.; Sweeting, C. J.; Wigham, B. D.; Wiklund, H. (2016). "Ecology and biogeography of megafauna and macrofauna at the first known deep-sea hydrothermal vents on the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge". Scientific Reports. 6: 39158. doi:10.1038/srep39158. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 5155287. PMID 27966649.