209
© The Author(s) 2021
K. De Baets, J. W. Huntley (eds.), The Evolution and Fossil Record of Parasitism,
Topics in Geobiology 49, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42484-8_6
Chapter 6
Gastropods as Parasites and Carnivorous
Grazers: A Major Guild in Marine
Ecosystems
Alexander Nützel
Abstract Parasitism and similar life styles such as carnivorous grazing or mucus
feeding without killing the prey are important in marine gastropods. Some of the
most diverse living gastropod families have this feeding behavior. Taxonomic uniformitarianism is the most important tool to infer parasitism or similar life styles in
fossil gastropods. The extant family groups in question (Eulimidae, Epitoniidae,
Pyramidellidae, Architectonicidae, Coralliophilinae, Ovulidae, Cerithiopsidae and
Triphoridae) originate mostly in the Late Cretaceous (Cerithiopsidae in the Middle
Jurassic) and Paleocene. They are performing an ongoing adaptive radiation and
some of the mentioned families belong to the most diverse gastropod groups forming a considerable part of marine ecosystems regarding species richness and relative
abundance. At the same time, origination and radiation of the carnivorous, commonly predatory Neogastropoda took place. This points to a trophic revolution in
Gastropoda that forms an important aspect of the Mesozoic Marine Revolution.
Most modern parasitic gastropods are small, high-spired, show high diversity and
low disparity within families and belong to Apogastropoda. By analogy, some
extinct gastropod families which show the same properties might have lived parasitic too (e.g., Pseudozygopleuridae, Zygopleuridae, Meekospiridae, Donaldinidae).
However, this will remain speculative to a large degree until direct host associations
are found. Direct evidence for parasitism is exceptional with the Palaeozoic platyceratid/crinoid interaction being one of the best studied examples. In Gastropoda,
functional shell morphology may help to identify parasitism in the fossil record but
this field is scarcely studied.
Keywords Parasitism · Diversity · Feeding · Ecology · Adaptive radiation
A. Nützel ()
SNSB-Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Munich, Germany
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Paleontology and Geobiology, LudwigMaximilians- Universität München, Munich, Germany
GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
e-mail: nuetzel@snsb.de
© The Author(s) 2021
K. De Baets, J. W. Huntley (eds.), The Evolution and Fossil Record of Parasitism,
Topics in Geobiology 49, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42484-8_6
Chapter 6
Gastropods as Parasites and Carnivorous
Grazers: A Major Guild in Marine
Ecosystems
Alexander Nützel
Abstract Parasitism and similar life styles such as carnivorous grazing or mucus
feeding without killing the prey are important in marine gastropods. Some of the
most diverse living gastropod families have this feeding behavior. Taxonomic uniformitarianism is the most important tool to infer parasitism or similar life styles in
fossil gastropods. The extant family groups in question (Eulimidae, Epitoniidae,
Pyramidellidae, Architectonicidae, Coralliophilinae, Ovulidae, Cerithiopsidae and
Triphoridae) originate mostly in the Late Cretaceous (Cerithiopsidae in the Middle
Jurassic) and Paleocene. They are performing an ongoing adaptive radiation and
some of the mentioned families belong to the most diverse gastropod groups forming a considerable part of marine ecosystems regarding species richness and relative
abundance. At the same time, origination and radiation of the carnivorous, commonly predatory Neogastropoda took place. This points to a trophic revolution in
Gastropoda that forms an important aspect of the Mesozoic Marine Revolution.
Most modern parasitic gastropods are small, high-spired, show high diversity and
low disparity within families and belong to Apogastropoda. By analogy, some
extinct gastropod families which show the same properties might have lived parasitic too (e.g., Pseudozygopleuridae, Zygopleuridae, Meekospiridae, Donaldinidae).
However, this will remain speculative to a large degree until direct host associations
are found. Direct evidence for parasitism is exceptional with the Palaeozoic platyceratid/crinoid interaction being one of the best studied examples. In Gastropoda,
functional shell morphology may help to identify parasitism in the fossil record but
this field is scarcely studied.
Keywords Parasitism · Diversity · Feeding · Ecology · Adaptive radiation
A. Nützel ()
SNSB-Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Munich, Germany
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Paleontology and Geobiology, LudwigMaximilians- Universität München, Munich, Germany
GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
e-mail: nuetzel@snsb.de