Conilithidae

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Conilithidae
Conus pagodus 001.jpg
Apertural view of shell of Conasprella pagoda (Kiener, 1845)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Conoidea
Family: Conilithidae
Tucker & Tenorio, 2009
Genera

See text

Conilithidae is a proposed taxonomic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, specifically cone snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea, the cone snails and their allies. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

In 2009, John K. Tucker and Manuel J. Tenorio proposed elevating the subfamily Conilithinae (previously placed in the family Conidae) to the rank of family. This was based on a cladistic analysis of anatomical characters, including the radular tooth, the morphology (i.e. shell characters), as well as an analysis of prior molecular phylogeny studies, all of which were used to construct phylogenetic trees. [1] In their phylogeny, Tucker and Tenorio noted the close relationship of the various species within the genera in the Conilithidae; this also corresponded to the results of prior molecular studies by Puillandre et al.. [4] Tucker and Tenorio's proposed classification system for the cone shells and their allies (and the other clades of Conoidean gastropods) is set forth at Tucker & Tenorio cone snail taxonomy 2009.

Like other species in the superfamily Conoidea, these snails are predatory and venomous, able to inject neurotoxins into their prey with their radula. The species in this family are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all.

Genera

Proposed genera within the Conilithidae include:

Significance of "alternative representation"

Prior to 2009, all cone species were placed within the family Conidae and were placed in one genus, Conus . In 2009 however, J.K. Tucker and M.J. Tenorio proposed a classification system for the over 600 recognized species that were in the family. Their classification proposed 3 distinct families and 82 genera for the living species of cone snails, including the family Conilithidae. This classification was based upon shell morphology, radular differences, anatomy, physiology, cladistics, with comparisons to molecular (DNA) studies. [1] Recent published accounts of the family Conilithidae and its genera include J.K. Tucker & M.J. Tenorio (2009), Tucker & Stahlschmidt (2010), Tucker, Tenorio & Stahlschmidt (2011), Bouchet et al. (2011), Puillandre et al. (2011), Tucker & Tenorio (2011), Petuch & Sargent (2011), and Petuch & Drolshage (2011). [1] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Testing in order to try to understand the molecular phylogeny of the Conidae was initially begun by Christopher Meyer and Alan Kohn, [12] and is continuing, particularly with the advent of nuclear DNA testing in addition to mDNA testing.

However, as of December 2011, some experts still prefer to use the traditional classification, where all species are placed in Conus within the single family Conidae: for example, according to the current November 2011 version of the World Register of Marine Species, all species within the family Conidae are in the genus Conus . The binomial names of species in the 82 cone snail genera listed in Tucker & Tenorio 2009 are recognized by the World Register of Marine Species as "alternative representations." [13] Debate within the scientific community regarding this issue continues, and additional molecular phylogeny studies are being carried out in an attempt to clarify the issue. [1] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

Related Research Articles

Conidae Family of sea snails

Conidae, with the current common name of "cone snails", is a taxonomic family of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Conoidea.

Conoidea Superfamily of predatory sea snails

Conoidea is a superfamily of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks within the suborder Hypsogastropoda. This superfamily is a very large group of marine mollusks, estimated at about 340 recent valid genera and subgenera, and considered by one authority to contain 4,000 named living species.

<i>Chelyconus</i> Subgenus of molluscs

Chelyconus is a subgenus of sea snails, cone snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conus, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

Coninae Family of molluscs

Coninae, or as it is more recently represented as a family, Conidae, common names the cone snails, cone shells or cones, is a taxonomic group of small to large predatory sea snails with cone-shaped shells, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.

<i>Jaspidiconus</i> Subgenus of gastropods

Jaspidiconus is a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conasprella, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Austroconus</i> Genus of gastropods

Austroconus is a proposed genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Calamiconus</i> Subgenus of gastropods

Calamiconus is a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conus, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Bathyconus</i> Subgenus of gastropods

Bathyconus is a subgenus of sea snails, cone snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conasprella, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Californiconus</i> Genus of gastropods

Californiconus is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks. The experts at WoRMS place this group of species in the family Conidae, the cone snails, but some other experts placed previously the genus in a proposed family, the Conilithidae. This is a monotypic genus.

<i>Conasprella</i> Genus of gastropods

Conasprella is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies. This genus was formerly treated by some experts as a member of the family Conilithidae and as an "alternative representation" of this group of species.

<i>Conasprelloides</i> Subgenus of molluscs

Conasprelloides is a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Dalliconus</i> Subgenus of gastropods

Dalliconus is a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conasprella, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

Taxonomy of the Conoidea (Tucker & Tenorio, 2009) 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.

<i>Fusiconus</i> Subgenus of gastropods

Fusiconus is a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conasprella, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Globiconus</i> Subgenus of gastropods

Globiconus is a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conasprella, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

Gradiconus Subgenus of gastropods

Gradiconus is a synonym of a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conus, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies. T

<i>Kohniconus</i> Subgenus of gastropods

Kohniconus is a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conasprella, family Conilithidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Lilliconus</i> Subgenus of gastropods

Lilliconus is subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conasprella, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Parviconus</i> Subgenus of gastropods

Parviconus is a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conasprella, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies. This genus currently is still treated by some experts as an "alternative representation" of this group of species.

<i>Perplexiconus</i> Subgenus of gastropods

Perplexiconus has become a synonym of Conasprella (Ximeniconus) Emerson & Old, 1962, a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Tucker J.K. & Tenorio M.J. (2009) Systematic classification of Recent and fossil conoidean gastropods. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 296 pp., at p. 133
  2. Bouchet P., Kantor Yu.I., Sysoev A. & Puillandre N. (2011) A new operational classification of the Conoidea. Journal of Molluscan Studies 77: 273-308.
  3. Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.) (2005). "Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families". Malacologia 47(1-2). ISBN   3-925919-72-4. 397 pp.
  4. N. Puillandre, S. Samadi, M. Boesselier, A. Sysoev, Y. Kantor, C. Cruaud, A. Couloux, & P. Bouchett (2008), Starting to unravel the toxoglossan knot: molecular phylogeny of the "turrid" (Neogastropoda: Conoidea), Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 47:1122-1134.
  5. Tucker, J. K. & Stahlschmidt, P. (2010) A second species of Pseudoconorbis (Gastropoda: Conoidea) from India. Miscellanea Malacologica 4(3):31-34.
  6. Tucker, J. K., Tenorio, M. J. & Stahlschmidt, P. (2011) The genus Benthofascis (Gastropoda: Conoidea): a revision with descriptions of new species. Zootaxa 2796:1-14.
  7. Bouchet P., Kantor Yu.I., Sysoev A. & Puillandre N. (2011). "A new operational classification of the Conoidea". Journal of Molluscan Studies 77: 273-308.
  8. Puillandre N., Meyer C.P., Bouchet P., and Olivera B.M. (2011), Genetic divergence and geographical variation in the deep-water Conus orbignyi complex (Mollusca: Conoidea), Zoologica Scripta 40(4) 350-363.
  9. Tucker, J. K. & Tenorio, M. J. (2011) New species of Gradiconus and Kohniconus from the western Atlantic (Gastropoda: Conoidea: Conidae, Conilithidae). Miscellanea Malacologica 5(1):1-16.
  10. Petuch, E. J. & Sargent, D. M. (2011) New species of Conidae and Conilithidae (Gastropoda) from the tropical Americas and Philippines. With notes on some poorly-known Floridian species. Visaya 3(3):116-137.
  11. Petuch & Drolshage (2011) Compendium of Florida Fossil Shells, Volume 1 MDM Publications, Wellington, FL., 432 pp.
  12. Interview of Professor Alan Kohn, Professor Emeritus, Zoology "SEASHELL COLLECTOR | Interview of Pr Alan Kohn, Professor Emeritus, Zoology". Archived from the original on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
  13. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=14107 Classification: Traditionally, all cone shells have been included in the Linnaean genus Conus. Tucker & Tenorio (2009) have recently proposed an alternative shell- and radula-based classification that recognizes 4 families and 80 genera of cones. In WoRMS, we currently still recognize a single family Conidae (following Puillandre et al. 2011), but Tucker & Tenorio's 80 genera classification is presented as "alternative representation". [P. Bouchet, 14 Aug. 2011]
  14. C.M.L. Afonso & M.J. Tenorio (August 2011), A new, distinct endemic Africonus species (Gastropoda, Conidae) from Sao Vicente Island, Cape Verde Archipelago, West Africa, Gloria Maris 50(5): 124-135
  15. P. Bouchet, Yu I. Kantor, A. Sysoev, and N. Puillandre (March 2011), A New Operational Classification of the Conoidea, Journal of Molluscan Studies 77:273-308, at p. 275.
  16. N. Puillandre, E. Strong, P. Bouchet, M. Boisselier, V. Couloux, & S. Samadi (2009), Identifying gastropod spawn from DNA barcodes: possible but not yet practicable, Molecular Ecology Resources 9:1311-1321.
  17. P.K. Bandyopadhyay, B.J. Stevenson, J.P. Ownby, M.T. Cady, M. Watkins, & B. Olivera (2008), The mitochondrial genome of Conus textile, coxI-conII intergenic sequences and conoidean evolution. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 46: 215-223.
  18. S.T. Williams & T.F. Duda, Jr. (2008), Did tectonic activity stimulate Oligo-Miocene speciation in the Indo-West Pacific? Evolution 62:1618-1634.
  19. R.L. Cunha, R. Castilho, L. Ruber, & R. Zardoya (2005), Patterns of cladogenesis in the venomous marine gastropod genus Conus from the Cape Verde Islands Systematic Biology 54(4):634-650.
  20. T.F. Duda, Jr. & A.J. Kohn (2005), Species-level phylogeography and evolutionary history of the hyperdiverse marine gastropod genus Conus, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 34:257-272.
  21. T.F. Duda, Jr. & E. Rolan (2005), Explosive radiation of Cape Verde Conus, a marine species flock, Molecular Ecology 14:267-272.
  22. B. Vallejo, Jr. (2005), Inferring the mode of speciation in the Indo-West Pacific Conus (Gastropoda: Conidae), Journal of Biogeography 32:1429-1439.

Further reading