Olive snail

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Olive snail
Oliva kaleontina.jpg
live Vullietoliva kaleontina
Lettered olive 0015.jpg
Shells of Lettered olive, Americoliva sayana
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Olivoidea
Family: Olividae
Latreille, 1825
Genera

See text

Synonyms [1]

Olivancillariidae

Specimen from the Argentine coast Olive nail.argentine coast.hand.png
Specimen from the Argentine coast

Olive snails, also known as olive shells and olives, scientific name Olividae, are a taxonomic family of medium to large predatory sea snails with smooth, shiny, elongated oval-shaped shells. [1]

Contents

The shells often show various muted but attractive colors, and may be patterned also. They are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Olividae within the main clade Neogastropoda.

Taxonomy

According to the Revised Classification, Nomenclator and Typification of Gastropod Families (2017) [2] the family Olividae consists of five subfamilies: [3]

Distribution

Olive snails are found worldwide, in subtropical and tropical seas and oceans.

Habitat

These snails are found on sandy substrates intertidally and subtidally.

Life habits

The olive snails are all carnivorous sand-burrowers. They feed mostly on bivalves and carrion and are known as some of the fastest burrowers among snails. They secrete a mucus similar to that of the Muricidae, from which a purple dye can be made.

Shell description

Physically the shells are oval and cylindrical in shape. They have a well-developed stepped spire. Olive shells have a siphonal notch at the posterior end of the long narrow aperture. The siphon of the living animal protrudes from the siphon notch.

The shell surface is extremely glossy because in life the mantle almost always covers the shell. [4] [5]

The fossil record

Olive shells first appeared during the Campanian. [6]

Human use

Olive shells are popular with shell collectors, and are also often made into jewelry and other decorative items.

The shell of the lettered olive, Oliva sayana , is the state shell of South Carolina in the United States.

Genera

Genera within the family Olividae include:

Genera brought into synonymy
Lettered olive, Oliva sayana Lettered olive 0012.jpg
Lettered olive, Oliva sayana

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neogastropoda</span> Clade of sea snails

Neogastropoda is an order of sea snails, both freshwater and marine gastropod molluscs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocenebrinae</span> Subfamily of gastropods

Ocenebrinae is a taxonomic subfamily of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks. This subfamily is within the large family Muricidae, which are commonly known as the murex and rock snails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapaninae</span> Subfamily of gastropods

Rapaninae is a subfamily of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cerithiidae</span> Family of molluscs

Cerithiidae, common name the cerithiids or ceriths, is a large family of medium-sized marine gastropods in the clade Sorbeoconcha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivellinae</span> Subfamily of gastropods

Olivellinae, are a subfamily of small predatory sea snails with smooth, shiny, elongated oval-shaped shells, in the family Olividae. The shells sometimes show muted but attractive colors, and may have some patterning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fasciolariidae</span> Family of gastropods

Fasciolariidae is a family of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Buccinoidea. Species in Fasciolariidae are commonly known as tulip snails and spindle snails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivoidea</span> Superfamily of gastropods

Olivoidea is a taxonomic superfamily of minute to medium-large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the order Neogastropoda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costellariidae</span> Family of sea snails

Costellariidae 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. The main family of miter shells however is Mitridae, a closely related group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Velutinidae</span> Family of gastropods

Velutinidae is a family of small sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha.

Pseudolividae is a taxonomic family of medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Olivoidea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coralliophilinae</span> Subfamily of gastropods

Coralliophilinae is a taxonomic group, a subfamily of about 200–250 sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks commonly known as the coral snails or coral shells. This is a subfamily within the very large family Muricidae, the murex or rock snails.

<i>Olivella</i> (gastropod) Genus of gastropods

Olivella, common name the dwarf olives, is a genus of small predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the subfamily Olivellinae of the family Olividae, the olives. Olivella is the type genus of the family.

Olivancillaria orbignyi, common name Ureta's olive, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Olividae, the olives.

<i>Callianax alectona</i> Species of gastropod

Callianax alectona is a species of small sea snail, marine gastropod mollusk in the family Olividae, the olives.

Callianax strigata is a species of small sea snail, marine gastropod mollusk in the family Olividae, the olives.

<i>Olivancillaria</i> Genus of gastropods

Olivancillaria is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Olivancillariinae of the family Olividae.

Calliostomatinae is a subfamily of gastropods, belonging to the family Calliostomatidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taxonomy of the Conoidea (Tucker & Tenorio, 2009)</span> Classification of cone snails and allies

The taxonomy of the cone snails and their allies as proposed by John K. Tucker and Manuel J. Tenorio in 2009 was a biological classification system for a large group of predatory sea snails. This system was an attempt to make taxonomic sense of the large and diverse group which contains the family Conidae, the cone snails. The authors proposed extensive changes to the family Conidae in contrast to the way the group was treated in the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005. Bouchet and Rocroi included in the family Conidae several other groups of toxoglossan snails which had previously been placed in the Turridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancillariidae</span> Family of gastropods

The Ancillariidae is a taxonomic family of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Olivoidea. They are gastropods, which belong to the larger group of mollusks. This family is part of the superfamily Cypraeoidea, which includes cowries, a well-known group of sea snails.

Olivinae is a subfamily of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Olividae, the olives.

References

  1. 1 2 Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2012). Olividae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=23082 on 2012-06-11
  2. Bouchet, Philippe; Rocroi, Jean-Pierre; Hausdorf, Bernhard; Kaim, Andrzej; Kano, Yasunori; Nützel, Alexander; Parkhaev, Pavel; Schrödl, Michael; Strong, Ellen E. (2017). "Revised Classification, Nomenclator and Typification of Gastropod and Monoplacophoran Families". Malacologia. 61 (1–2): 1–526. doi:10.4002/040.061.0201. ISSN   0076-2997.
  3. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Olividae Latreille, 1825". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  4. Washington State University Tri-Cities Natural History Museum (2001). Family: Olividae (Olive Shells). Retrieved on 12 July 2006.
  5. Vermeij, Geerat J (3 April 1995). A Natural History of Shells. Princeton University Press. ISBN   0-691-00167-7. pps. 89, 100, 114.
  6. Vermeij, Geerat J (1 September 1993). Evolution and Escalation. Princeton University Press. ISBN   0-691-00080-8. p.182.
  7. Charles L. Powell II, Fred Vervaet and David Berschauer, A taxonomic review of California Holocene Callianax (Olivellidae. Gastropoda. Mollusca) based on shell characters; The Festivus March 2020, special issue

Further reading