Tinnyea vittata melanioides

Tinnyea vittata melanioides

(J. Sowerby, 1816)

Common name Freshwater Snail
Fossil group Molluscs
Order Cerithiida
Family Pachychilidae
Genus Tinnyea
Taxonomic status Accepted
Geological age Ypresian

Summary

Tinnyea vittata melanioides was a tall-spired pachychilid snail, part of a lineage associated with freshwater and low-salinity environments. It probably crawled over firm and muddy substrates grazing microbial films and plant or detrital material.

The robust turreted shell and strong nodulose sculpture distinguish it from smoother melanopsids. The accepted name is a subspecies-level combination.

Quick Identification

Look for: a robust tall turreted shell with stepped whorls, strong axial ribs or nodes and spiral cords, ending in an oval aperture without a long siphonal canal.

Diagnostic Features

  • Shell high-conical to turreted with a long spire.
  • Whorls distinctly stepped or shouldered.
  • Axial ribs or nodules form strong vertical ornament.
  • Spiral cords cross the axial sculpture and strengthen the nodulose appearance.
  • Aperture is oval with a short basal termination rather than a long open siphonal canal.

Fossil Details

Typical size
Comparable early Eocene Tinnyea material is several centimetres high, around 30–40 mm in larger specimens.
Fossil material
Shell, Internal Mould / Cast
Preservation
The high spire is prone to losing its apex and outer lip. Nodes and cords remain useful after moderate wear, but heavily abraded fragments can be difficult to separate from other turreted cerithioideans.

Similar Species

Recorded Fossil Sites

Synonyms & Previous Names

Brotia melanioides; Brotia melanioides melanioides; Brotia (Tinnyea) melanioides

References

  • MolluscaBase Editorial Board. (2026). MolluscaBase: Tinnyea vittata melanioides (J. Sowerby, 1816). MolluscaBase View reference
  • Rundle, A. J. (1970). Report of a Field Meeting to Abbey Wood, Kent. Tertiary Times, 1, 20–23 View reference
  • Spijkerman, E.; van Nieulande, F. A. D.; Wesselingh, F. P.; Reich, S.; Tracey, S. (2015). Pourcy (Paris Basin, France): preliminary assessment of an early Eocene NW European tropical coastal environment from molluscs and vertebrate fossils. Cainozoic Research, 15(1–2), 155–180 View reference
Last Reviewed
22 August 2026 Reviewed by Sam Harris