Cyphoma is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of predatory tropical sea snail

Sea snail

Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....

s, a taxonomic group of marine

Marine (ocean)

Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...

 gastropod molluscs in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Ovulidae

Ovulidae

Ovulidae, common names the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries, is a family of small to large predatory or parasitic sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies.-Distribution:...

, a family which is sometimes known as the false cowries or cowry allies.

Life habits

Cyphoma snails feed by grazing on the sea fans or sea whips which they inhabit.

The males can be territorial, defending part of the sea fan from encroachment by other males.

Species

Species within the genus Cyphoma include:

• Cyphoma alleneae
  Cyphoma alleneae
  Cyphoma alleneae is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries....
  
  Cate, 1973
• Cyphoma arturi Fehse, 2006
• Cyphoma aureocinctum (Dall, 1889) - gold-line cyphoma
• Cyphoma christahemmenae
  Cyphoma christahemmenae
  Cyphoma christahemmenae is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries....
  
  (Fehse, 1997)
• Cyphoma emarginatum (G.B. Sowerby I, 1830)
• Cyphoma gibbosum (Linnaeus, 1758) - flamingo tongue snail
  Flamingo tongue snail
  The flamingo tongue snail, scientific name Cyphoma gibbosum, is a species of small but brightly-colored sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the cowry allies. Although the live animal is brightly colored, that color is only in the soft parts; the shell itself is plain...
  
  
• Cyphoma guerrinii
  Cyphoma guerrinii
  Cyphoma guerrinii is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries....
  
  Fehse, 2001
• Cyphoma intermedium (G.B. Sowerby I, 1828)
• Cyphoma macumba
  Cyphoma macumba
  Cyphoma macumba is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries....
  
  Petuch, 1979
• Cyphoma mcgintyi
  Cyphoma mcgintyi
  Cyphoma mcgintyi is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries....
  
  Pilsbry, 1939 - synonym: Cyphoma lindae Petuch, 1987
• Cyphoma rhomba
  Cyphoma rhomba
  Cyphoma rhomba is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries....
  
  Cate, 1979 - bullroarer cyphoma
• Cyphoma roamoralesi
  Cyphoma roamoralesi
  Cyphoma roamoralesi is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries....
  
  Macsotay & Villarroel, 2001
• Cyphoma sedlaki
  Cyphoma sedlaki
  Cyphoma sedlaki is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries....
  
  Cate, 1979
• Cyphoma signatum Pilsbry & McGinty, 1939 - fingerprint cyphoma
• Cyphoma versicolor
  Cyphoma versicolor
  Cyphoma versicolor is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries....
  
  Fehse, 2003