# List of gastropods described in 2013
The year 2013 saw the formal description of numerous new species of gastropods, the class of molluscs that contains snails and slugs, in journals such as *Zoosystema*, *Zootaxa*, and the *Journal of Conchology*. A species description is the published act by which a new scientific name becomes available under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, and each name is anchored to type specimens deposited in a collection[1](https://www.iczn.org/outreach/faqs/). This article lists representative gastropod taxa described in 2013 that are documented in the taxonomic literature, organized by the expeditions, regions, and research groups associated with them.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Madagascar "Deep South" | Six new species of Muricidae described by Roland Houart and Virginie Héros in *Zoosystema* 35(4): 503–523 (2013)[2](https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/123887/records/66d9b526f995ef9c04252916) |
| Turris revision | A 2013 revision of the genus *Turris* (Conoidea: Turridae) described six new species in the Indo-West Pacific[3](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23847408/) |
| Fasciolariidae | Bouchet & Snyder (2013) described new *Benimakia* species and the new genus *Nodolatirus* from New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and the Austral Islands[4](https://conchsoc.org/jconch-41-3) |
| Conoidea, Africa | Morassi & Bonfitto (2013) described four new African turriform gastropods[5](https://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/taxa/Mollusca.html) |
| French Polynesia | A new species of *Terebra* (Terebridae) was described in 2013[6](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/283820) |
| Mediterranean | A new species of *Platyla* (Aciculidae) described in 2013 filled a biogeographic gap in the Mediterranean[7](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25250436/) |
| Context | MolluscaBase currently recognizes 111,207 accepted gastropod species across all habitats[8](https://www.molluscabase.org/aphia.php?p=browser) |
## Madagascar "Deep South": Muricidae
The extreme south of [Madagascar](https://www.edgepedia.org/madagascar) is noted for the endemism of its marine biota, notably molluscs. Material collected during the ATIMO VATAE expedition yielded six new species of murex snails ([Muricidae](https://www.edgepedia.org/muricidae)) described by Roland Houart, a specialist on the family, and Virginie Héros of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, in *Zoosystema* volume 35, part 4, pages 503–523[2](https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/123887/records/66d9b526f995ef9c04252916).
The six species are distributed across three subfamilies:
- **Muricinae**: *Chicoreus (Triplex) kantori*, *Naquetia manwaii*, and *Dermomurex (Dermomurex) charlesi*
- **Muricopsinae**: *Favartia (Favartia) tantelyi* and *Favartia (Pygmaepterys) fournierae*
- **Rapaninae**: *Semiricinula bozzettii*
The paper compares the new species with similar species from Madagascar and other regions and illustrates them, including the radulae (the molluscan feeding organ) of *Naquetia manwaii* and *Semiricinula bozzettii*[2](https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/123887/records/66d9b526f995ef9c04252916).
## Conoidea: Turridae and allies
The cone snails and their relatives (superfamily Conoidea) were a focus of 2013 descriptions. A revision of the genus *Turris* (family Turridae) in the Indo-West Pacific described six new species, established new combinations and new synonymies, and designated a neotype for *Pleurotoma garnonsii* Reeve, 1843, with the type locality emended to Zanzibar[3](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23847408/). A neotype is a single specimen designated as the name-bearing type when the original types are lost or destroyed[1](https://www.iczn.org/outreach/faqs/).
In the same year, Mauro Morassi and Antonio Bonfitto described four new African turriform gastropods in *Zootaxa*[5](https://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/taxa/Mollusca.html).
## Fasciolariidae from the South Pacific
[Philippe Bouchet](https://www.edgepedia.org/philippe-bouchet), a malacologist at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle and a founder of MolluscaBase[9](https://www.molluscabase.org/about.php), and Martin Snyder described in 2013 a set of spindle snails ([Fasciolariidae](https://www.edgepedia.org/fasciolariidae)) from the South Pacific: *Benimakia nux*, *Benimakia vermeiji*, and *Benimakia rubus*, together with the new genus *Nodolatirus* and its type species *Nodolatirus rapanus*, from [New Caledonia](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-caledonia), Vanuatu, and the Austral Islands[4](https://conchsoc.org/jconch-41-3).
## Other 2013 descriptions
- A new species of *Terebra* ([Terebridae](https://www.edgepedia.org/terebridae), the auger snails) was described from [French Polynesia](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-polynesia)[6](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/283820).
- A new species of the land snail genus *Platyla* (family Aciculidae) was described from the Mediterranean, where its discovery filled a biogeographic gap in the genus's known distribution[7](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25250436/).
## Context: how 2013 descriptions fit into gastropod taxonomy
Gastropods are the largest class of Mollusca, and MolluscaBase, the authoritative database for molluscan names, currently recognizes 111,207 accepted gastropod species[8](https://www.molluscabase.org/aphia.php?p=browser). New species continue to be found in well-sampled regions as well as remote ones; the Madagascar "Deep South" paper notes that the region's mollusc endemism was already recognized before the ATIMO VATAE expedition[2](https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/123887/records/66d9b526f995ef9c04252916). Descriptions of new taxa are frequently published alongside revisions of larger groups, as with the *Turris* revision, which combined new species with new synonymies and type designations[3](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23847408/). The naming of a species is governed by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, which regulates how names are created and published but not the scientific classification itself[1](https://www.iczn.org/outreach/faqs/).
## References
1. [Frequently Asked Questions, International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature](https://www.iczn.org/outreach/faqs/)
2. [Houart, R. & Héros, V. (2013). Description of new Muricidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) collected during the ATIMO VATAE expedition to Madagascar "Deep South". Zoosystema 35(4): 503–523, AGRIS record](https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/123887/records/66d9b526f995ef9c04252916)
3. [Revision of the genus Turris (Gastropoda: Conoidea: Turridae) with the description of six new species, PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23847408/)
4. [Journal of Conchology 41(3), May 2013, Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland](https://conchsoc.org/jconch-41-3)
5. [Zootaxa: Mollusca, Magnolia Press](https://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/taxa/Mollusca.html)
6. [Description of a new species of Terebra (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Terebridae) from French Polynesia, Biodiversity Heritage Library](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/283820)
7. [A new species of Platyla (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Aciculidae) fills a biogeographic gap in the Mediterranean, PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25250436/)
8. [MolluscaBase browser](https://www.molluscabase.org/aphia.php?p=browser)
9. [MolluscaBase about page](https://www.molluscabase.org/about.php)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Animals › Invertebrates › Molluscs › Gastropods › Gastropod systematics and basal clades › Nomenclatural catalogs and genre descriptions › Gastropod taxa described by year*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license