"YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE”

The above title is appropriate when it comes to the classification of shallow-marine gastropods, formerly assigned to family Terebridae [e.g. genus Terebra] In the last 25 years or so, DNA studies have shed new light on the evolution of this family, as well as many other families of living mollusks (e.g., shallow-marine gastropods).

Below, I focus on four examples of species that belong in family Terebridae but have been reassigned, based on molecular (DNA) studies from genus Terebra to genus Oxymeris. This latter genus is a predatory carnivorous  gastropod that feeds on small invertebrates, such as polychaete worms and other mollusks. Oxymeris is most common in tropical and subtropical shallow, coastal ocean waters, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, where they dwell in sandy/muddy substrates or among coral reefs.

Note: Terebridae have complex venom and are poisonous to other animals, including humans. Do not handle terebraids as they can sting you good! 

Classification 

Phylum Mollusca

Class Gastropoda

Order Neogastropoda

Family Terebridae [407 living species]

Genus Oxymeris

                                                                                    Examples illustrated herein:  

The above illustrations, from left to right:

(the scale is in centimeters)

 Oxymeris dimidiata (Linaeus, 1758) 

 Oxymeris crenulata Deshayes, 1857

 Oxymeris areolata (Link, 1807)

Oxymeris maculata (Linnaeus, 1758)

REFERENCES USED

Fedosov et al. 2019. Phylogenetic classification of the family Terebridae (Neogastropoda). Journal of Molluscan Studies 85 (4), pp. 359-388. Pdf available for free online.

WoRMS = World Register of Marine Species – Mollusca [a free, comprehensive website anyone can use]. It provides current  (an old names) for marine mollusks.

MIDDLE EOCENE SHARK TEETH FROM SOUTHERN ALABAMA

Thirty-six years ago, I made a fossil-collecting trip to southwest Alabama in order to collect fossil (middle Eocene) gastropods and bivalves. At one locality, however, I came across an unexpected find: namely, well-preserved shark teeth. They were in a weakly cemented, glauconite sandstone bed that was directly underneath the deposit rich in mollusks. At that time, I was unable to identify most of the teeth I found because I could not find any pertinent literature about them. Thirty-six years later, thanks to having the internet available, I have come across some information that pertains to Alabama Eocene shark teeth. I can now, at least, identify [as discussed below] some of the material I collected to the genus level, but, I mostly have too few specimens. Also, most of the teeth have less than perfect preservation, which is critical in order to confidently identify shark teeth to the species level. The black color of these teeth is the result of being buried for about 40 million years.

                                 Carcharias sp. (Sand-tiger shark)

The name Carcharias is an ancient Greek work that means “shark.”

The geologic time Range of genus Carcharias is early Eocene to Recent. Sharks belonging to this genus live today in warm shallow seas on most continents. Individuals can be up to 3.2 m (10.5 feet) in length. They have a long streamlined body and sharp teeth for feeding on other fishes. 

Classification 

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Chondrichthyes

Subclass Elasmobranchii

Order Lamniformes

Family Odontaspididae = so-called “sand sharks” [this family is extinct]

Genus Carcharias

Type Species C. taurus Rafinesque, 1810

Carcharias has narrow, stout, long, sharp-pointed teeth with a slight curve. They also have a tiny cusplet on each side of a tooth. All these features [especially the cusplets] helped me confirm identification of these teeth as belonging to genus Carcharias. On modern-day sand tiger sharks, these cusplets can be larger, but, keep in mind, that during the Eocene the morphology of sand tiger sharks would have been slightly different than those of today because of slight changes, most likely related to evolutionary processes. Also, one must consider that the cusplets on the specimens I collected have been somewhat worn down by erosion.

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Figure 1. Three views of the same tooth of the sand-tiger shark Carcharias sp., from upper middle Eocene rock in southwestern Alabama. Image on the left is a front view, with tiny cusplets indicated by the arrows.  Image in the middle is the back view. Image on the right is a right-side view. Tooth length of tooth: 45 mm, width 15 mm, thickness 9 mm.  

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                      Galeocerdo sp. (Tiger shark)                                       

The name Galeocerdo is from the Greek words “Galeos” and “Kerdo,” which mean “shark” and “fox.” The geologic time range of genus Galeocerdo is Cretaceous? to Recent.

                                                                 

Figure 2: On the left: frontal views, and on the right: back views of the same two teeth of the tiger shark Galeocerdo sp., from upper middle Eocene rock southwestern. Alabama. Smaller tooth 16 mm width, 9 mm height; larger tooth 19 mm width, 12 mm height.

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Figure 3. A modern-day myliobatid (sting ray) swimming in very shallow water; a public domain image (picryl.com).

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Figure 4. Two plates of stingray myliobatid mouth teeth, from the same bed where I found the shark teeth that are figured earlier in this posting. Plate on the left: length 1.7 cm; plate on the right: length 1.5 cm. 

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Figure 5. Top and side views of a shark vertebra [diameter 2 cm, thickness 1 cm] showing the characteristic circular growth rings. This specimen is from the same upper middle Eocene fossil bed, where the Carcharias, Galeodea, and Myliobatis teeth were collected. 

                                                 References

   Ebersole, J.A., D. Cicimurri, and G. L. Stringer. 2019. Taxonomy and biostratigraphy of the elasmobranch and bony fishes (Chondrichthyes and Osteichtyes) of the lower-to-middle Eocene (Ypresian to Bartonian) Group in Alabama, USA, including Claiborne and analysis of otoliths. European Journal of Taxonomy 585, pp. 1-274.

fossilera.com

Wikipedia

     NO ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE USED IN ANY OF MY BLOG POSTS

THE TERROR OF SHALLOW MESOZOIC OCEANS

Pliosaurs were a group of marine Mesozoic reptiles characterized as having a large head (up to 3 m long) and a short neck. They also had four large flippers for swimming. Their entire bodies were up to 15 m (49 feet) long. Pliosaurs range in geologic time from the Early Jurassic to mid Cretaceous. 

They lived primarily in shallow ocean waters of Europe and South America, where they must have terrorized their prey (e.g., ammonites, fish, etc.).

They were apex predators (i.e., at the top of the food chain). They ate whatever they found. Their powerful jaws contained many sharp, conical teeth.  

Pliosaurs ate fish, cephalopods (squids, ammonites, and belemnites), and most likely fish.

Some well known pliosaurs include Liopleurodon, Kronosaurus, and Pliosaurus. The word Pliosaurus means “more lizard.”

Figure 1. Pliosaurus: a drawing (by R.L. Squires) of Pliosaurus.

Figure 2. Image included for comparison to their pliosaur Mesozoic relatives: the outline of the body of a plesiosaur, characterized by a long neck and a short head. 

THE PYRAMIDS, THE SPHINX, AND THE GREAT WALL

This posting is the result of my curiosity to see how these world-class sites appear in GOOGLE EARTH, which is available free to the public.                       

                                THE GIZA PYRAMID 

The Giza Pyramid is located near the southern part of the city of Cairo, on the west bank of the Nile River in Giza, Egypt. This pyramid is among the world’s largest man-made structures.  It was built between 2600 to 2500 B.C.

The Giza Pyramid is located in the southwest corner of the above image, just below the green area. The green color is because of the vegetation mainly north of the pyramids. The Nile River is along the right side of this Google Earth image.

An enlarged Google Earth image showing "The Great Pyramid" is the dark brown structure near top of this image. Another pyramid (lighter brown colors) is located to the lower left. The much smaller structure located southeast of the pyramids [i.e., in the far right corner of this image] is the Sphinx, which is enlarged in the next figure.

The Sphinx is another of the world’s largest sculptures (carved from stones brought to the site). The Sphinx is  240 feet long (73) and 66 feet (20 m) high. It is a reclining mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. It faces east toward the Nile River. This sculpture has the face of possibly Pharaoh Khafe; it is difficult to be certain because the face of Sphinx was partially defaced long ago.

note: In reality, The Sphinx is facing east, but via the software available with Google Earth, I was able to "turn it" 90 degrees to the south; so that you can view The Sphinx "head on."  

Both the pyramids and The Sphinx  were constructed from blocks removed from exposures of the nearby 40-45 million-year-old nummulitic (giant-sized single-cell foraminifera) marine limestone of the of the late Luetian to Bartonian, middle Eocene Mokattam Formation. Nummulites are very large [up to 30 mm in diameter!] single-cell foraminifera (see my previous blog June 6, 2014) for images of nummulites). Other fossils found in this limestome include sea cows (sirerians), early whales [Protocetus], bony fish, sharks, reptiles and mammals (see Wikipedia).

                                THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

"Shifting shift gears abit": The following images are Google Earth Images that show The Great Wall of China, which is a World Heritage Site, which was built continuously from the 3^rd century B.C. to the 17^th Century AD. Its total length is about 22,000 km (greater than 4,000 miles!). It would take approximately 18 months to walk its length.  It is the largest man-made project in the world. It stretches from its eastern Pacific Sea side to the west desert, and crosses mountains and plateaus. It is not a single-structural wall but a series of towers, barriers, and fortresses along the walls. It is generally between 5 to 8 m tall and 16 to 26 feet between the walls. The materials are from local sources (uncut stones, wood, and earth). It took greater than 2,000 yrs. to construct.

 

The wall was constructed as a military defense; namely, to prevent invaders from the north (Mongolia) and from the east (The Koreas).

                            Fig. 1 Map of the Great Wall of China.

                 Fig. 2. A long-view of the Great Wall.

                 Fig. 3. A closer view of the Great Wall.

SOME SCIENCE MISNOMERS

Misnomers are names given to scientific concepts, objects, or phenomena that are inaccurate and/or misleading. Below are some of these misnomers, but I am confident that there are MANY more that have permeated scientific topics.

note: The word “misnomer” is from an Old French word, meaning “to name wrongly.”

PLANTS 

Fortnight “Lily” is not a lily flower [note: it is an Iris flower].

Callas “Lily” is not a lily flower.

Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are not berries. 

Peanuts are not nuts; rather they are legumes (i.e., related to peas).

Coconuts and walnuts are not nuts; both are drupes (fleshy fruits).

Hazelnuts and chestnuts are not true nuts.

“Bird of Paradise” is a flower, not a bird.

“Kangaroo paw” is a plant and has nothing to do with kangaroos.

Snake plant is a plant, not a snake.

Spanish bayonet is a plant, not a bayonet.

Poison oak is not a true oak.

Lion’s ear is a flower.

Butterfly weed is not a butterfly.

Cat’s pajamas is a hydrid plant = Nepeta. 

Teddy Bear sunflower is not a teddy bear.

Big Duck Gold is a plant, not a duck. 

Goatsbeard is a flower, and has nothing to do with a goat.

Bunny Tails are plants, not bunnies nor tails.

A cardinal flower is not a bird.

Dragon’s blood is a flower.

Leopards bane is a flower, not an animal.

Lamb’s ear is a plant, not an animal. 

Zebra grass is a plant, not an animal.

Horsetail [= Equisetum] is a plant and has nothing to do with a horse.

Dinosaur tree is the Ginkgo tree and has nothing to do with dinosaurs.

Dogwood is a plant, not a dog. 

Bee balm is a flower and not derived from a bee.

Elephant ears is a succulent plant that has nothing to do with elephants.

Monkeyflower is a swamp flower that has nothing to do with monkeys. 

Cattail is a wetland plant and has nothing to do with cats.

The Yellow Trout Lily flower is a flower and has nothing to do with trout fish.

The Bird of Paradise is a flower, not a bird.

The Butteryfly Bush is not a butterfly.

The Norfolk Island Pine is not a true pine tree.

The Cook Pine is not a true pine.

Irish moss it a type of red algae, not a moss.

A whisk fern is not a fern.

American blue-eyed grass does not have eyes.

The snake plant is not a snake.

The Sago Palm is not a palm tree.

Lucky bamboo is not even bamboo.

Jersualem artichokes come from North America and are not artichokes but are a member of the sunflower flamily.

ANIMALS 

                            Invertebrates 

The Alabama waterdog is actually an aquatic salamander.

Cuttlefish is not a fish (it is a cephalopod mollusk).

Duck Foot or Pelican’s Foot is a gastropod seashell.

Fireflies are not flies (they are beetles).

Glow worms are not worms. They are insect larvae.

Geoduck (pronounced “gooey” duck) is a large burrowing clam.

Horny toad is a lizard, not a toad.

Horse conch has nothing to do with horses. It is a gastropod seashell.

Jelly fish are not fish, they are cnidarians.

King crabs are not true crabs. 

Crab spiders are spiders, not crabs.

Mantis shrimp is not a Mantis, nor a true shrimp. They are stomatopods.

Starfish are not stars, they are echinoderms.

Porcupine is not a tree, rather it is a mammal.

Velvet ants are wasps, not ants.

Naval shipworm is not a worm; it is a clam that burrows into ship docks, etc.

Whip spider is not a spider and does not whip anything.

Slow worm is not a worm; it is a legless reptile that looks like a snake.

[A double misnomer] Vampire squid is neither one; it is the only surviving swimming member of a strange group of cephalopods.

Slow worm is not a worm; it is a legless reptile that looks like a snake.

Butterflies are not made of butter, nor related to flies; they are insects.

Horse conchs are not horses, they are gastropods.

“Duck’s foot” is a seashell.

Sea potato is not a potato, it is a species of echinoderm sea-urchin.

Venus’ flower basket is not a flower, it is actually is a deep-sea glass sponge.

A sand dollar is an echinoid.

The term “killer clam” has a usage indicating they kill humans although this clam eats phytoplankton (microscopic) life forms.

A butterfly is not butter. 

A banana slug is not a banana.

 

                        Vertebrates

The American buffalo is a bison, not a buffalo.

The electric eel is not electric.

The “mountain chicken” is a frog, not a chicken.

Red Panda is not a panda; it is more closely related to raccoons, skunks, and weasels

Bearcat is a bear, not a cat.

A hellbender is an amphibian.

Bull dog is not a bull.

Bull shark is not a bull.

Bull snake is not a bull.

Kangaroo rat is a rodent, not a marsupial.

The slow worm is not a worm; it is a legless reptile.

Koala Bear is a marsupial, not a bear.

Flying fox is a bat, not a fox.

Flying lemurs cannot fly, they glide.

[A double misnomer] The Guinea pig is not a pig, but it is a rodent that originated in the Andes, not in Guinea.

The whale shark is a mammal, not a shark.

Killer Whale is not a whale, it is a dophin.

King Cobra is a snake but not a true cobra.

Prairie dogs are not dogs, rather they are rodents.

A nighthawk is not a hawk and does not even fly at night. Also, it is more active at dawn than at dusk.

A mud puppy is a salamander covered in mucus, not mud.

A winged dragonfish is not a dragon but it is a fish with wing-like fins.

Seashorse is not a horse, it is a fish.

Sawfish is not a saw.

Short-eared and long-eared owls do not have ears; rather they just have feather tuffs.

A titmouse is not a mouse; it is a bird.

Turkey vulture has nothing in common with turkeys.

The “Water Buffalo” is not a buffalo.

A nighthawk is not a hawk and does not even fly at night.

[A double misnomer]: A fisher cat does not fish and is not a cat; it is a cousin of the weasel.

A mud puppy is a salamander covered in mucus, not mud.

A winged dragonfish is not a dragon but it is a fish with wing-like fins.

Head cheese is a meat product!

Mountain goats are not goats, they are a type of antelope.

Fire flies are not flies but are flying beetles.

Kangaroo rat is not a rat.

The mudpuppy is not a puppy, rather it is a big mucus-covered salamander.

The Tennessee Warbler lives in Canada and Mexico.

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MISCELLANEOUS 

 

“Catgut” is made from sheep, not cats. 

“Lead” in pencils is actually carbon, not lead.

Voltaire’s famous remark about the “Holy Roman Empire” is bogus; it was neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.

Buffalo wings are not related to buffalos nor birds; they are name for the city of Buffalo, New York.

Spiders are not insects.

Panama hats come from Eucador.

Ringworm is not a worm; it is caused by fungi.

GAMES

Chinese checkers originated in Germany, not in China

MATHEMATICS

Arabic numerals originated in India, not in Arabia.

MUSIC

French Horns originated in Germany, not in France.

English Horns come from Poland and are not horns (they are actually are instruments related to the oboe).

ASTRONOMY 

Dark Side of the Moon”---The Moon has no permanently dark side; both sides experience sunlight and darkness, though only one side of the moon is visible from earth.

     

A “shooting star” is actually a small meteorite.

 “ Light Year” is the distance light travels in one Earth year; thus it is a unit of distance, not time.

GEOLOGY

Tidal Wave vs.Tsunami:

[note: The news media is responsible for improperly continuing to use the term “tidal wave” when referring to an earth-caused displacement of water by an earthquake].

 A “Tsunami of lies” is not an oceanic event.

“Fool’s Gold” is not gold! It is the mineral pyrite (iron-sulfide).

“Moonstone” is a mineral (albite) and has nothing to do with the Moon.

Siberian ruby is not a ruby, it is tourmaline.

PALEONTOLOGY

A “fossil” is not a still-living, elderly person! The word “fossil” actually indicates something that was organic, is greater 10,000 years old, and is preserved naturally in the rock record.

The term “living fossil” is a misnomer because how can you be living and also be a fossil?

Basilosaurus [translated, this word means “king lizard,”], but Basilosaurus is an ancient whale (= a mammal).

Duckbill dinosaur is not related to ducks.

Vulcanodon (the “ Volcano tooth” dinosaur) is not a reptile; the skull of this dinosaur is not even known; furthermore, the poscranium of this dinosaur is now know to be from a different animal versus the rest of the skeleton.

METEROLOGY

Atmospheric “River” (“so–called “rivers in the sky,” which is a phrase used constantly by the news media) are not rivers. [Can you canoe down an atmosphere river?]

“Pineapple Express” (where are the pineapples?)

  

“Bomb Cyclone” (another awful term) manufactured by the news media.

OTHER

  

“Theory” = nowadays this is a consistently misused term for any hair-brained idea, when the term was intended to be use for a well-thought explanation based on facts.

White chocolate it not a true chocolate as is not prepared from cacao beans.

Tin cans are no longer made from tin.

               REFERENCES USED TO COMPILE THIS LIST

https:llwww.reddit.com ask Historian/comments…misnomers from history

https://www.merriam-webstar.com/wordplay/9 misnnomers and misleading names

https.www.mentalfloss.com

https.//ngb.org/animal-plant names

Jones, P.A. 2022. 34 Misleading Misnomers explained. Mental Floss (an online source).

Mosco, Rosemary. 2018. 15 Confusing plant and animal misnomers.

         

AS WITH ALL OF MY POSTS, NO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE HAS BEEN USED IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS POST

                                              Note: The term "artificial intelligence" is also a misnomer!