Fossil History
Figure 1. Fossil of an unknown species of Gastropod.
Class Gastropoda are considered to have an unbroken fossil record since early Cambrian times, and late last century was considered to be at the “peak of its evolutionary development” (Barnes 1968). As such, there is a relatively complete fossil record of the Turbo genus (commonly referred to as turban shells), with a vast number of species represented. Unfortunately there is a lack of adequate historical documentation, which has resulted in some concern among the scientific community regarding the taxonomic assignment of this genus (Williams 2007). Fortunately, many fossils of extant Turbo species exist, and these have been carefully and thoroughly examined. Radula characteristics are often used to confirm an organism as belonging to the family Turbinidae, however radulae does not preserve well in the fossil record. Fortunately analysis by experts of shell morphology and structure can be performed instead, and as such there is presently little doubt that these specimens have been correctly identified (Williams 2007). |