Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The embryonal or primitive shell of an ammonoid cephalopod. Owen. Also called embryo-sac, oviccll, and ovisac.
  • noun The apical whorl of a gastropod shell.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Zoöl.) The embryonic shell, or first chamber, of ammonites and other cephalopods.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun zoology The embryonic shell, or first chamber, of ammonites and other cephalopods.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

proto- +‎ conch

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word protoconch.

Examples

  • I'd be very interested in reading any studies that have examined the strength of genetic separation in examples like this same family, similar shell form, radically different protoconch.

    A fossil snail fits in between, or, maybe not AYDIN 2008

  • The fine spiral lines of the protoconch are more likely to represent the still developing mantle anatomy of the snail embryo at the time of the secretion of its embryonic shell.

    A fossil snail fits in between, or, maybe not AYDIN 2008

  • However, one significant trait distinguishes B. gymnesica from both Mastus and Napaeus: the protoconch, or the embryonic whorls, of Balearena have spiral lines on bottom halves of whorls, whereas the Mastus and Napaeus protoconches are always devoid of such microsculpture.

    Archive 2008-07-01 AYDIN 2008

  • Balearena gymnesica, enture shell 1 and protoconch.

    A fossil snail fits in between, or, maybe not AYDIN 2008

  • There are very many such examples in the Australian Charopidae and the normal practice which I agree with is to regard such strong protoconch differences as automatically significant at generic level in view of the unlikelihood that there is much evolutionary pressure affecting protoconch fsculpture.

    A fossil snail fits in between, or, maybe not AYDIN 2008

  • The fine spiral lines of the protoconch are more likely to represent the still developing mantle anatomy of the snail embryo at the time of the secretion of its embryonic shell.

    Archive 2008-07-01 AYDIN 2008

  • Balearena gymnesica, enture shell 1 and protoconch.

    Archive 2008-07-01 AYDIN 2008

  • However, one significant trait distinguishes B. gymnesica from both Mastus and Napaeus: the protoconch, or the embryonic whorls, of Balearena have spiral lines on bottom halves of whorls, whereas the Mastus and Napaeus protoconches are always devoid of such microsculpture.

    A fossil snail fits in between, or, maybe not AYDIN 2008

  • Growth: Even before the snail hatches, it has formed a single small whorl around itself known as a protoconch.

    CreationWiki - Recent changes [en] 2009

  • Growth: Even before the snail hatches, it has formed a single small whorl around itself known as a protoconch.

    CreationWiki - Recent changes [en] 2009

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • The embryonic shell of a gastropod.

    December 20, 2007

  • Fun word! Weird, though--when I look at it on screen, I want to add even more Os to pronounce it properly. Protoconoch? Protooconch?

    *slapping self upside the head*

    December 20, 2007