Muricoidea
Encyclopedia
Muricoidea is a taxonomic superfamily
of predatory sea snail
s, marine
gastropod mollusks in the clade Neogastropoda.
This superfamily includes the murex snails, the chank snails, the true whelk
s, the dove snails, the crown conchs and busycon whelks, the spindle and tulip snails, the volutes and olives, the harp snails, the margin snails, the miters, and others.
of the snails in this superfamily vary greatly in shape and degree of ornamentation. The shells have an oval aperture
, and a noticeable siphonal canal
.
Taxonomic rank
In biological classification, rank is the level in a taxonomic hierarchy. Examples of taxonomic ranks are species, genus, family, and class. Each rank subsumes under it a number of less general categories...
of predatory sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
s, 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 mollusks in the clade Neogastropoda.
This superfamily includes the murex snails, the chank snails, the true whelk
Whelk
Whelk, also spelled welk or even "wilks", is a common name used to mean one or more kinds of sea snail. The species, genera and families referred to using this common name vary a great deal from one geographic area to another...
s, the dove snails, the crown conchs and busycon whelks, the spindle and tulip snails, the volutes and olives, the harp snails, the margin snails, the miters, and others.
Shell description
The shellGastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
of the snails in this superfamily vary greatly in shape and degree of ornamentation. The shells have an oval aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
, and a noticeable siphonal canal
Siphonal canal
Some sea marine gastropods have a soft tubular anterior extension of the mantle called a siphon through which water is drawn into the mantle cavity and over the gill and which serves as a chemoreceptor to locate food. In many carnivorous snails, where the siphon is particularly long, the structure...
.
Families
Families within the superfamily Muricoidea are as follows:- BabyloniidaeBabyloniidaeBabyloniidae is a taxonomic family of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks within the superfamily Muricoidea.-Genera and species:Genera and species within the Babyloniidae are as follows:*Genus Acinopsis T.A...
T. Kuroda et al., 1971 - CostellariidaeCostellariidaeCostellariidae sometimes called the "ribbed miters" is a taxonomic family of minute to medium-sized predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks. This family of snails is also sometimes referred to as Vexillum miters...
McDonald, 1860 - CystiscidaeCystiscidaeCystiscidae is a taxonomic family of minute sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks or micromollusks.- Description :The shell is minute to large, either white, uniformly colored, or patterned; the surface is smooth, sculptured, or axially costate; the spire is flat to immersed, or low to tall; the...
Stimpson, 1865 - HarpidaeHarpidaeHarpidae, common name the harp snails, is a taxonomic family of large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks.- Subfamilies and genera :...
Bronn, 1840 - MarginellidaeMarginellidaeMarginellidae, or the margin shells, are a taxonomic family of small, often colorful, sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Neogastropoda.- Taxonomy :...
Fleming, 1828 - MitridaeMitridaeMitridae, known as mitre shells, are a taxonomic family of sea snails, widely distributed marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Neogastropoda....
Swainson, 1829 - MuricidaeMuricidaeMuricidae, common name murex snails or rock snails, is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails. With approximately 1,600 living species the Muricidae represent almost 10% of the Neogastropoda. Additionally, 1,200 fossil species have been recognised...
Rafinesque, 1815 - †PholidotomidaePholidotomidaePholidotomidae is an extinct taxonomic family of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks....
Cossmann, 1896 - Pleioptygmatidae Quinn, 1989
- StrepsiduridaeStrepsiduridaeStrepsiduridae is a taxonomic family of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Muricoidea, but its position is doubtful....
Cossman, 1901 - TurbinellidaeTurbinellidaeTurbinellidae are a family of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the order Neogastropoda.-Distribution:Species in this family are found world-wide, mostly in tropical shallow waters but some in deep waters.- Subfamilies :...
Swainson, 1835 - VolutidaeVolutidaeVolutidae, common name volutes, are a taxonomic family of predatory sea snails that range in size from 9 mm to over 500 mm, marine gastropod mollusks...
Rafinesque, 1815 - VolutomitridaeVolutomitridaeVolutomitridae is a family of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Muricoidea.-Genera:The family Volutomitridae contains six genera and about fifty described recent species:* Conomitra Conrad, 1865* Magdalemitra Kilburn, 1974...
Gray, 1854