A review of gastropods at ancient hydrocarbon seeps
In: Topics in Geobiology. Plenum: New York. ISSN 0275-0120, more
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| Abstract |
Gastropods are one of the most important groups of organisms adapted to chemosynthesis-based communities. A list of gastropod occurrences in ancient hydrocarbon seeps is provided in this chapter, and the most important taxa common at seeps are discussed in more detail. The fossil record shows that the trochomorph gastropods are already known from Paleozoic seeps and vents though they are poorly preserved and thus researched. Already in Late Triassic seeps, gastropods are well diversified, including the first possible abyssochrysoids. The Jurassic and Cretaceous were times of abyssochrysoid dominance in seep and vent gastropod communities not only in number of taxa but also in number of individuals. Two new families (Desbruyeresidae and Rubyspiridae) and one new subfamily (Alviniconchinae) are described. It is suggested that the latter belongs to Paskentanidae. The oldest report of neomphalid gastropods in seeps is from the Jurassic though their diversity is rather restricted and apparently they are absent at Mesozoic vents. Most likely, the neomphalid radiation in vents came much later. Limpet-shaped gastropods occur at seeps already in the Jurassic but became common only in Late Cretaceous as is the case of the colloniid vetigastropods. Though known from the Late Cretaceous, neogastropods appear in larger numbers in Oligocene seeps |
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