Family NOTOMENIIDAE
Compiler and date details
A.H. Scheltema, Woodshole Oceanographic Institute, Massachusetts, USA
Introduction
The Notomeniidae is a monogeneric family of Neomeniomorpha known from only two specimens belonging to the Australian species Notomenia clavigera Thiele, one from the type locality in Torres Strait, the other from Bass Strait. The species is an altogether unusual aplacophoran in uniquely having noncalcareous, haematoxylin-staining spicules (Thiele 1902; Scheltema 1998). The species is small, 4 mm or less in length, and brown. The spicules are small and of two types: club-shaped, or ovoid and rimmed.
The affinities of this neomenioid aplacophoran are not known; the genus has not been found outside Australian waters.
General References
Scheltema, A.H. 1998. Class Aplacophora. pp. 145-147 in Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. & Wells, A. (eds). Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 5(Part A) pp. xvi, 1-563
Thiele, J. 1902. Die systematische Stellung der Solenogastren und die Phylogenie der Mollusken. Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Zoologie 72: 249-466