About Phymorhynchus buccinoides

Phymorhynchus buccinoides is a species of sea snail in the family Raphitomidae, commonly found in cold seep ecosystems. It is widely distributed off Hatsushima, Sagami Bay, Japan, at depths of approximately 1,160 meters. This species thrives in extreme deep-sea environments and plays a role in the unique ecological dynamics of cold seeps, contributing to the biodiversity and nutrient cycling of these habitats.

Animalia (Kingdom); Mollusca (Phylum); Gastropoda (Class); Caenogastropoda (Subclass); Neogastropoda (Order); Conoidea (Superfamily); Raphitomidae (Family); Phymorhynchus (Genus); Phymorhynchus buccinoides (Species)

Phymorhynchus buccinoides Okutani, Fujikura & Sasaki, 1993

1. Okutani T. New taxa and new distribution records of deepsea gastropods collected from or near the chemosynthetic communities in the Japanese waters[J]. Bulletin National Science Museum, Series A, 1993, 19: 123-143. (Okutani et al., 1993)

As a secondary consumer, P. buccinoides feeds on mytilid mussel Bathymodiolus platifrons, biological carcass, and organic debris sinking down from the upper layer. It is the important predator of the food chains in the cold seeps and it contributes to the balances of the cold seep fauna communities, energy flows and other interactions among the communities living around the deep-sea cold seeps.

The type locality is off Hatsushima, Sagami Bay, 35°00.2' N, 139°13.5' E, Japan in depth 1160 m. There is no known other locality up to 2005. It lives in seeps.