| Xenophoridae | |
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| Xenophora pallidula , a carrier shell | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Littorinimorpha |
| Superfamily: | Xenophoroidea |
| Family: | Xenophoridae Troschel, 1852 (1840) |
| Genera | |
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
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Xenophoridae, commonly called carrier shells, is a family of medium-sized to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Littorinimorpha.
The Xenophorids live on sand and mud bottoms of the continental shelves and the continental slopes of the subtropical and tropical seas and range from very shallow water to depths of more than 1,400 meters. [1]
Xenophorids are unusual in that in many of the species the animal cements small stones or shells to the edge of the shell as it grows, thus the shells of those species are sometimes humorously referred to as "shell-collecting shells". The genus name Xenophora comes from two ancient Greek words and means "bearing (or carrying) foreigners". The shells are small to rather large (diameter of base without attachments 19–160 mm; height of shell 21–100 mm), depressed to conical, with narrow to wide, simple to spinose peripheral edge or flange separating spire from base. Aperture large, base broad, rather flattened, often umbilicate. Periostracum very thin or wanting. Protoconch depressed-conical, multispiral (in one species paucispiral). Teleoconch usually with foreign objects attached in spiral series to peripheral flange and, sometimes, remainder of dorsum, at least on early whorls. Operculum horny, yellowish to brown, nucleus lateral, with simple growth lamellae, sometimes with conspicuous radial striae or hollow radial ribs. [1]
Xenophoridae belongs to the superfamily Stromboidea, which also includes the true conchs (Strombidae). [2] It had previously been placed in a monotypic superfamily, Xenophoroidea, [3] but placement in Stromboidea is supported by behavioral, [4] anatomical, [5] and genetic data. [6] Within Stromboidea, Xenophoridae appears to be most closely related to Aporrhaidae and Struthiolariidae. [6]
According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) the family Xenophoridae has no subfamilies.
Genera within the family Xenophoridae include: [1] [7]
Like other stromboids, xenophorids move in a "leaping" manner. [4] Xenophora conchyliophora has been found to move an average of 233.5 cm per day, with its speed during short-duration "sprints" averaging 1.44 cm per minute and reaching a maximum speed of 5.5 cm per minute. [11]
Xenophorids incorporate shells, coral, and other objects into their shells as they grow. Several different hypotheses have been proposed to explain this behavior. [12]
Orthogastropoda was a major taxonomic grouping of snails and slugs, an extremely large subclass within the huge class Gastropoda according to the older taxonomy of the Gastropoda.
Littorinimorpha is a large order of snails, gastropods, consisting primarily of sea snails, but also including some freshwater snails and land snails.
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.
Xenophora, commonly called carrier shells, is a genus of medium-sized to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Xenophoridae, the carrier snails or carrier shells. The genus Xenophora is the type genus of the family Xenophoridae.
The taxonomy of the Gastropoda, as revised by Winston Ponder and David R. Lindberg in 1997, is an older taxonomy of the class Gastropoda, the class of molluscs consisting of all snails and slugs. The full name of the work in which this taxonomy was published is Towards a phylogeny of gastropod molluscs: an analysis using morphological characters.
Strombus pugilis, common names the fighting conch and the West Indian fighting conch, is a species of medium to large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
Lobatus raninus, common name the hawk-wing conch, is a species of medium to large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
The Achatinoidea are a superfamily of air-breathing land snails and slugs, terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the suborder Achatinina.
Olivoidea is a taxonomic superfamily of minute to medium-large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the order Neogastropoda.
Pseudolividae is a taxonomic family of medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Olivoidea.
Titanostrombus goliath, previously known as Lobatus goliath and Strombus goliath, common name the goliath conch, is a species of very large edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs. T. goliath is one of the largest mollusks of the Western Atlantic Ocean, and also one of the largest species among the Strombidae. It was once considered endemic to Brazil, but specimens have also been recently found in the waters of Barbados. Brazilian common names for this species include búzio de chapéu or búzio, and búzio de aba or buzo in. Some phylogenetic hypotheses consider T. goliath as closely related to the queen conch, Aliger gigas.
Aliger gallus, previously known as Strombus gallus, common name the rooster conch or rooster-tail conch, is a species of medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
Terebellum terebellum, common name the Terebellum conch, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Seraphsidae, the true conchs.
Onustus caribaeus is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Xenophoridae, the carrier shells.
Onustus longleyi is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Xenophoridae, the carrier shells.
Stellaria chinensis is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Xenophoridae, the carrier shells.
Onustus is a genus of large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Xenophoridae, the carrier shells.
Obtortionidae is a family of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cerithioidea, that is within the clade Cerithimorpha or in clade Sorbeoconcha.
Strombus gracilior, common names the Eastern Pacific fighting conch, or the Panama fighting conch, is a species of medium to large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, the true conchs.
Rimellopsis powisii, common name Powis's tibia, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusks in the family Rostellariidae within the Stromboidea, the true conchs and their allies.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .| Authority control databases: National |
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