Cypraeoidea | |
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A live cowry Cypraea chinensis , with its mantle fully extended, head end to the left | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Littorinimorpha |
Superfamily: | Cypraeoidea Rafinesque, 1815 |
Families | |
See text | |
Synonyms [1] | |
Velutinoidea |
Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies, is a superfamily of sea snails, marine gastropods included in the clade Littorinimorpha. This superfamily had been called Cypraeacea and was named by Rafinesque in 1815. [1]
This superfamily of sea snails have adult shells which do not look like typical gastropod shells because the spire of the shell is not visible in adults, instead the shells are: often quite rounded in shape, varying from globular to elongate, and with a long, very narrow, aperture which is sometimes toothed. The snails in these families have no operculum.
The shells of almost every species in this superfamily are very smooth and shiny, and this is because in the living animal, the shell is nearly always fully covered with the mantle.
The largest known fossil cowry was Gisortia gigantieaMunster, 1828 which reached a length of 350mm. The largest modern cowry is the Atlantic Deer Cowry ( Macrocypraea cervus ) at up to 190mm. The largest known cowry from any extant subfamily or genus was the Australian cowry Zoila (Gigantocypraea) gigas(McCoy, 1867) at about 247mm. [2]
This superfamily used to be known as Cypraeacea. Prior to the recent ruling by the ICZN, many invertebrate superfamily names ended in the suffix -acea, or -aceae, not -oidea as now required according to ICZN article 29.2. The suffix -oidea used to be used for some subclasses and superorders, where it is still found. In much of the older literature including Keen 1958, gastropod superfamilies are written with the suffix -acea. [3] [4] [5]
The following two subfamilies were recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005):
Fehse (2007) [6] elevated the subfamily Pediculariinae to the family Pediculariidae, and the tribe Eocypraeini to the family Eocypraeidae. Both of these groups were removed from the Ovulidae and raised to family level, based on research on their morphological and molecular phylogenic qualities. [6] Families within Cypraeoidea are as follows:
Rissooidea, originally named Rissoacea by Gray, 1847, is a taxonomic superfamily of small and minute marine snails, belonging to the clade Littorinimorpha.
Littorinimorpha is a large order of snails, gastropods, consisting primarily of sea snails, but also including some freshwater snails and land snails.
Cypraeidae, commonly named the cowries, is a taxonomic family of small to large sea snails. These are marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies.
The Stromboidea, originally named the Strombacea by Rafinesque in 1815, is a superfamily of medium-sized to very large sea snails in the clade Littorinimorpha.
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 the cowry allies.
Pediculariinae is a subfamily of small to large predatory or parasitic sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Ovulidae and the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and the cowry allies. As of 2009, it comprises 48 described species of which 20 are regarded as valid by most scientists.
Eocypraeidae is a small family of large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies.
Crenavolva janae is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.
Crenavolva philippei is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.
Crenavolva traillii, common name Traill's ovulid, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.
Naviculavolva massierorum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.
Pellasimnia annabelae is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.
Phenacovolva barbieri is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.
Serratovolva luteocincta is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.
Lunovula finleyi is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, one of the families of cowry allies.
Lunovula superstes is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, one of the families of cowry allies.
Pedicularia splendida is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, one of the families of cowry allies.
Jenneria is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Ovulidae, one of the families of cowry allies.
The subfamily Ovulinae, common name the ovulines, is a highly specialized, extant group of sea snails in the family Ovulidae. These are predatory or parasitic sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks within the superfamily Cypraeoidea. Species in this subfamily are sometimes referred to as cowries, although this name is commonly used for any member of the superfamily Cypraeoidea.
Sphaerocypraea is a small family of large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Eocypraeidae, belonging to the cowries and cowry allies.