Ovulidae

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Ovulidae
Cyphoma gibbosum (living) 2.jpg
Living Cyphoma gibbosum with mantle extended, anterior end of animal towards the top of the image
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Superfamily: Cypraeoidea
Family: Ovulidae
Fleming, 1822
Genera

See text

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. [1]

Contents

Distribution

The ovulids are a widespread family, occurring mostly in tropical and subtropical waters, with most species in the Indo-West Pacific region. But a few species live in temperate waters.

Habitat

Dentiovula dorsuosa camouflaged on a soft coral. Cowry.jpg
Dentiovula dorsuosa camouflaged on a soft coral.

Ovulids are carnivorous molluscs that feed on polyps and tissues of Anthozoa (as do the genera Cyphoma and Pseudocyphoma). They live on, and eat, soft corals and sea fans, and they are usually regarded as ectoparasites of these sessile colonial organisms, to which they are anchored by a long and narrow foot. This extreme specialisation in their alimentary regime has caused important morphological modifications to their radula. [2] [3]

Shell description

Ovulids mostly have smooth shiny shells with a very long aperture and a very low or invisible spire. The shell can be pyriform (shaped like a pear), ovate (egg-shaped) to sub-ovate, cylindrical or lanceolate (lance-shaped).

The shell is often monochromatic white, but in some species the shell is pink or reddish.

In a few species of ovulids, the shell quite closely resembles that of cowries. However in many other species, the shells are so elongate that they do not so much resemble the shells of that closely related family.

When these snails are alive, the mantle completely covers the shell almost all of the time. Pictures of living animals usually show the brightly colored and decorated mantle, which looks very different from the often rather plain, shiny surface of the shell.

The color patterns of the mantle closely resemble the color patterns of the host species. This is due to the phenomenon of "alimentary homochromy" (obtaining the same color as the host by feeding on the host). This phenomenon gives them a remarkable camouflage ability.

Taxonomy

2005 taxonomy

The following five subfamilies have been recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005):

See also Schiaparelli et al. (2005). [4]

2007 taxonomy

Fehse (2007) [5] have elevated subfamily Pediculariinae to family Pediculariidae and tribe Eocypraeini to family Eocypraeidae both to family level based on morphological research of the radulae, shell and animal morphology and the molecular phylogeny research of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. [5] Subsequently he has established new subfamilies Prionovolvinae and Aclyvolvinae. [5]

family Ovulidae

Genera

Genera within the family Ovulidae include:

Subfamily Eocypraeinae F. A. Schilder, 1924 (synonym: Prionovolvinae Fehse, 2007)

Subfamily Simniinae Schilder, 1925

Phenacovolva rosea from East Timor. Ovulid.jpg
Phenacovolva rosea from East Timor.

Subfamily Ovulinae Fleming, 1828

Subfamily Aclyvolvinae

subfamily placement?

Related Research Articles

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

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.

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

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.

<i>Primovula</i> Genus of gastropods

Primovula is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Ovulidae, the false cowries.

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

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.

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

Eocypraeidae is a small family of large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies.

<i>Crenavolva traillii</i> Species of gastropod

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.

<i>Cuspivolva allynsmithi</i> Species of gastropod

Cuspivolva allynsmithi is a species of sea snail in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.

<i>Cuspivolva celzardi</i> Species of gastropod

Cuspivolva celzardi is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.

Cyphoma aureocinctum, common name : the gold-banded egg shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.

Cyphoma christahemmenae is a species of sea snail in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.

Cyphoma emarginatum, common name : the Emarginate Cyphoma, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.

<i>Diminovula rosadoi</i> Species of gastropod

Diminovula rosadoi is a species of sea snail in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.

<i>Procalpurnus semistriatus</i> Species of gastropod

Procalpurnus semistriatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.

<i>Sandalia meyeriana</i> Species of gastropod

Sandalia meyeriana is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.

<i>Crenavolva</i> Genus of gastropods

Crenavolva is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Eocypraeinae of the family Ovulidae.

<i>Diminovula</i> Genus of gastropods

Diminovula is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Eocypraeinae of the family Ovulidae.

<i>Kuroshiovolva</i> Genus of gastropods

Kuroshiovolva is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Aclyvolvinae of the family Ovulidae.

<i>Phenacovolva</i> Genus of gastropods

Phenacovolva is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Ovulidae.

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simniinae</span> Subfamily of molluscs

Simniinae is a subfamily of molluscs in the Ovulidae family of gastropods.

References

  1. ↑ MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Ovulidae J. Fleming, 1822. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1747 on 2020-05-25
  2. ↑ Thiele J. (1929). Handbuch der Systematischen Weichtierkunde, 1. Fischer, Jena, 376 pp.
  3. ↑ Vayssière A. (1923). "Recherches zoologiques et anatomiques sur les mollusques de la famille des Cypraeidés, 1ère partie". Annales du Musée d’Histoire naturelle de Marseille Zoologie18(1921): 1–120. Plates 1–14.
  4. ↑ Schiaparelli, S.; Barucca M.; Olmo E.; Boyer M.; Canapa A. (2005). "Phylogenetic relationships within Ovulidae (Gastropoda: Cypraeoidea) based on molecular data from the 16S rRNA gene". Marine Biology. 147 (2): 411–420. doi:10.1007/s00227-005-1566-0. S2CID   85420879.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 Fehse D. (2007). "Contributions to the knowledge of the Ovulidae. XVI. The higher systematics". Spixiana 30(1): 121–125. PDF Archived 2012-03-02 at the Wayback Machine .
  6. ↑ Lorentz, F. (2009-05-28). "Archivolva". Ovulidae.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  7. ↑ Bouchet, Philippe (2020). "Amonovula piriei (Petuch, 1973)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 13 February 2021.

Further reading

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