Neolepetopsidae is a family of small deep sea sea snails or true limpets, marine gastropod mollusks in the subclass Patellogastropoda (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).
This family has no subfamilies.
Etymology The name of the family Neolepetopsidae is composed of the prefix neo, which means "new", and the word Lepetopsidae, which is the name of an extinct family of true limpets, from which the species within Neolepetopsidae probably evolved.
Taxonomy Two Neolepetosidae species Eulepetopsis vitrea and Paralepetopsis floridensis were genetically analyzed by Harasewych & McArthur (2000),Harasewych M. G. & McArthur A. G. (2000). "A Molecular Phylogeny of the Patellogastropoda (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Eogastropoda)". Marine Biology 137(2): 183-194. http://hdl.handle.net/10088/4613 who confirmed placement of Neolepetopsidae within Acmaeoidea/Lottioidea based on analysis of partial 18S rDNA.
Neolepetopsidae belongs to superfamily Neolepetopsoidea according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).
Neolepetopsoidea was synonymized with Lottioidea so Neolepetopsidae was moved to superfamily Lottioidea in World Register of Marine Species.Gofas, S. (2010). Patellogastropoda. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=382158 on 2010-04-01
Distribution The distribution of the Neolepetopsidae includes the Northeastern Pacific, the western Pacific (Paralepetopsis rosemariae) and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Habitat These limpets live in the deep sea. Their habitat includes hydrothermal vents, whalebone (baleen) and whale-fall habitats.McLean J. H. (2008). "Three New Species of the Family Neolepetopsidae (Patellogastropoda) from Hydrothermal Vents and Whale Falls in the Northeastern Pacific". Journal of Shellfish Research 27(1): 15-20. . abstract.
Genera There are currently known 3 genera and altogether 12 species in Neolepetopsidae: Neolepetopsis McLean, 1990 - type genus Neolepetopsis gordensis McLean, 1990 - type species Neolepetopsis densata McLean, 1990 Neolepetopsis nicolasensis McLean, 2008 - from whalebone Neolepetopsis verruca McLean, 1990 Neolepetopsis occulta McLean, 1990 Eulepetopsis McLean, 1990 Eulepetopsis crystallina C. Chen, Y.-D. Zhou, H. K. Watanabe, R. Y. Zhang & C. S. Wang, 2021 Eulepetopsis vitrea McLean, 1990 Paralepetopsis McLean, 1990 Paralepetopsis floridensis McLean 1990 - type species Paralepetopsis clementensis McLean, 2008 - from whalebone Paralepetopsis ferrugivora Warén & Bouchet, 2001Warén A. & Bouchet P. (2001). "Gastropoda and Monoplacophora from hydrothermal vents and seeps new taxa and records". The Veliger 44(2): 116-227. Paralepetopsis lepichoni Warén & Bouchet, 2001 - from Nankai Trench Paralepetopsis rosemariae Beck, 1996Beck L. (1996). "Morphology and anatomy of new species of neolepetopsid, acmaeid, fissurellid and pyropeltid limpets from Edison Seamount off Lihir Islands (West Pacific)". Archiv für Molluskenkunde 125: 87-103. Paralepetopsis sasakii Warén & Bouchet, 2009Warén A. & Bouchet P. (2009). "New gastropods from deep-sea hydrocarbon seeps off West Africa". Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 56(23): 2326-2349. Paralepetopsis tunnicliffae McLean, 2008 - from hydrothermal vent
References
Further reading
Sasaki T. & Warén A. (2007). "Anatomy of Eulepetopsis vitrea McLean, 1990 (Patellogastropoda: Neolepetopsidae)". In: Jordaens, K., N. Van Houtte, J. Van Geothem, & T. Backeljau, editors. Abstracts, World congress of malacology. Antwerp, Belgium. July 15–20, 2007195.