See text Steira Eschscholtz, 1825 Atlanta is a genus of pelagic marine gastropod molluscs in the family Atlantidae.

It has been recognized by several authors that identification of species in this genus is difficult and is dependent on their morphology of eyes, radula and operculum.

[3] The number of spire whirls varies from 2½ (in the A. lesueuri- group) to 6 (A. gibbosa) and is thus also helpful in the identification of a species.

The eye morphology also consists of three types with differences in pigmented region between the lens and the retina.

[4] Many authors (e.g., Thiriot-Quiévreux, 1973, p. 240; Richter, 1974, p. 60; Seapy, 1990, p. 107) admit that identification of Atlanta species is difficult and including soft-part features (eyes, radula, operculum) or application of transmitted light to observe inner shell structures (Richter, 1987, p. 178) are very helpful in distinguishing species with similar shells.

[1] Advantageous in this study of fossil atlantids, however, is the fact that all specimens are preserved as opaque aragonitic shells as a result of recrystallisation, which facilitates assessing protoconch shape and ornament with a normal 25 or 50× binocular magnification, they are thus much easier studied than in the usually very transparent and shiny Recent specimens.

[1] Still, here, too, study of the larval shell shape and micro-ornamentation by SEM is highly desirable or even indispensable.