eroteltavia

eroteltavia is a fictional genus of small marine gastropod mollusks created for use in a hypothetical paleontological database. It is not a real taxon. In this entry, eroteltavia is presented as a valid genus within a putative family, Eroteltaviidae, in the class Gastropoda.

The taxonomy is: Kingdom Animalia; Phylum Mollusca; Class Gastropoda; Order Vetigastropoda (tentative); Family Eroteltaviidae (fictional); Genus eroteltavia; Type species eroteltavia tabulata (fictional). The name is a constructed combination intended to resemble conventional gastropod nomenclature.

Morphology: The imagined shell is small, with a planispiral to elongated-oval outline, around 6–14 mm in height or length depending on morph, and a smooth surface with fine growth lines. The aperture is narrow with a short siphonal canal; an operculum is assumed to be present.

Habitat and distribution: In the fictional world, eroteltavia inhabited shallow tropical seas near coral reefs, occurring in relatively clear water and on hard substrates. The fictional geographic range centers on a Tethyan-like conduit, with hypothetical fossils reported in Miocene to Pliocene deposits.

Ecology: As a grazer or detritivore, eroteltavia would feed on microalgae and biofilm on rocks and coralline algae, contributing to reef microhabitat structure.

Discovery and naming: The genus is a construct for illustrative purposes; no actual specimens exist. The type species eroteltavia tabulata is fictional.

See also: Mollusca, Gastropoda, Fossil taxa, Fictional taxonomic entries.

References: This article documents a fictional taxon created for demonstration; no peer-reviewed sources exist.