| abapical | pointing away from the apex along the axis. |
| adapical | pointing towards the apex along the axis. |
| alate | winged, having alae. |
| ANSP | Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. |
| anterior | pointing away from the apex |
| apex | The tip of the gastropods spire, the part of the gastropod where it began to grow. |
| bicarinate | with two spiral keels. |
| BM(NH) | British Museum (Natural History), now The Natural History Museum London |
| carinate | with a spiral keel. |
| CAS | California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco |
| clastic | Sediments composed of mechanical breakdown of rocks, such as mud, sand and gravel. I Geology: rocks composed clastic sediments, such as sandstone. |
| cyronym | valid name. |
| deposit feeder | animal feeding on bacteria, phytoplankton, zooplankton and detritus by filtering sediment. |
| dorsal | towards the back of the shell or the mollusc animal, opposite: ventral. |
| epifaunal | living above the sediment. |
| fathom | 1 fathom = 1.8288 meters. |
| feet | 1 feet = 0.3048 meters. |
| FMNH | Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago |
| GPIH | Geologisch-Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Hamburg. |
| GPIB | Geologisches-Paläontologisches Institut Bonn, Germany; old terminology. new: IPB |
| holotype | The holotype is that single specimen, which is the basis for the description and the naming of a species. |
| IGUT | Institute of Geoscience, University of Tsukuba. |
| IPB | Steinmann-Institut, Dep. Paleontology, Bonn |
| IRScNB | L’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique. |
| infaunal | living in the sediment. A hint for an infaunal life could be the ratio of naticid to muricid borings. Most Naticids attack their prey infaunally, Muricids epifaunally. |
| lectotype | The lectotype is a specimen choosen from a series of syntypes as an equivalent to the holotype. |
| MHNG | Museum d’ Histoire Naturelle, Genève |
| MIGiG | Paleontological Museum of United Institute of Geology, Geophysics and Mineralogy, Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk |
| (type species by) monotypy | is when in the original description of a genus only one species is mentioned which should be attributed to that particular new genus, but no statement is made whether there are more species to be allocated to that new genus, or a statement such as (e.g.): Aporrhais quatorcarinata belongs to this new genus. |
| nomen nudum | (Latin for "naked name") A scientific name without a description. More: see Wikipedia |
| NRM | Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet in Stockholm |
| NSMT | stands for National Science Museum Tokyo |
| NMB | stands for Naturhistorisches Museum Basel |
| operculum | (pl. opercula) in stromboidean shells: a horny plate, attached dorsally to the foot. It serves the mollusc to close the aperture after withdrawing into the shell. In Strombidae, it is used sometimes during locomotion. |
| (type species by) original designation | is that the type species was designated in the original publication where the genus was described, and the type species was explicitely stated as being the type species. |
| paratype | Paratypes are specimens that the author of a new species used and cited for the description and naming, other than the holotype. |
| posterior | pointing towards the apex |
| protoconch | Shell of the gastropod embryo or larval stadium, becomes later the apex. |
| SAM | South African Museum in Cape Town, South Africa. |
| SGO.PI. | Departamento de Paleontologý´a de Invertebrados, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Santiago, Chile |
| siliclastic | (siliciclastic) Sediments composed of non-carbonate rocks, such as quartz or other silicates. |
| s.l. | sensu lato (latin) = in a broad sense. |
| SMF | Senckenberg Museum Frankfurt |
| s.s. | sensu stricto (latin) = in a narrow sense. |
| (type species by) subsequent designation | is comparable to a lectotype. In the original description an author says (e.g.) "To this new genus the following species belong: Aporrhais quatorcarinata , A. tridentata, A. monodactylus and A. pentacostata." In this statement, no species is designated as being the type species, and either of the formentioned four species is eligible as type species. Any designation of a type species after the original description [in another publication that is] is a subsequent designation. |
| suspension feeder | animal feeding on bacteria, phytoplankton, zooplankton and detritus by filtering water |
| syntype | Syntypes are those specimens that an author used as basis to describe and name a new species and where he did not choose a holotype. |
| taxon | a group or category of living or fossil organisms. Example: species, genus, family, ... |
| ventral | underside of the shell (where the aperture is), opposite: dorsal |
| ZMA | Zoologisches Museum Amsterdam |
| ZMB | Zoologisches Museum Berlin |
| ZPAL | Polish Academy of Sciences in Warszawa |
