Acteonidae, common name the "barrel bubble snails", is a family of small sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks of the informal group Lower Heterobranchia.
The shell is usually smaller than 25 mm. The shell of these sand-dwelling micromollusks is small, but it is large enough to house the retracted soft parts including the entire mantle.
The aperture is elongated. The narrow shell aperture, which is ovate and pointed on the top, can be closed with an operculum.
The thick shell is oviform to fusiform, with a short (sometimes sunken) conical apex. They have spiral sculpturing. The elongated aperture opens up from narrow at the posterior notch to enlarged at the base. The base of the columella has several characteristic plaits.
The radula has no central tooth, and there are five or six laterals on each side. The teeth are very similar in shape and size across the radula, which is specialised for a diet of polychaete worms.
The eggs are enclosed in a long, gelatinous mass, which is attached to the substrate with a short stalk.
The foot is with operculum.
Acteonidae occur in warm seas in swallow and deep water.
Animals predate polychaetes.
Genera within the family Acteonidae include:
Genus Acteon Montfort, 1810 - type genus
† Genus Acteonina d'Orbigny, 1850
Genus Bathyacteon Valdés, 2008
Genus Callostracon Repetto & Bianco, 2012
Callostracon amabile Watson, 1886
Callostracon chariis (Watson, 1886)
Callostracon tyrrhenicum (Smriglio, C. & P. Mariottini, 1996)
Distribution : Tyrrhenian Sea.
† Genus Colostracon Hamlin, 1884
Genus Crenilabium Cossmann, 1889
Crenilabium aciculatum Cossman, 1889
Crenilabium exilis (Jeffreys, 1870)
Distribution : Florida, Mexico, Eastern Atlantic, Iceland, Mediterranean.
Length : 8.1 mm
Description : found at depths of 270 to 2640 m
Crenilabium pacifica Kuroda & Habe, 1958
Distribution : Indo-Pacific
Genus Inopinodon Bouchet, 1975
Inopinodon azonicus Locard, 1897
Genus Japonactaeon Taki, 1956
Genus Liocarenus Harris & Burrows, 1891
Liocarenus globulinus Forbes, 1844
Distribution : Atlantic, Mediterranean
Genus Lissacteon Monterosato, 1890
Genus Maxacteon Rudman, 1971
Maxacteon cratericulatus Hedley, 1906
Distribution : New Zealand
Maxacteon fabreanus (= Acteon fabreanus) Crosse, 1874
Distribution : Philippines
Length : 17–30 mm
Description : white shell with five whorls, each whorl filled with lightbrown bands covering the many spirals of each whorl.
Maxacteon flammeus (= Acteon flammeus) Gmelin, 1791
Distribution : Red Sea, tropical Indo-West Pacific
Length : 17 mm
Description : the headshield is developing secondary tentacles.
Maxacteon hancocki (synonym: Acteon hancocki) Rudman, 1971
Maxacteon milleri (synonym: Acteon milleri) Rudman, 1971
Genus Mysouffa Marcus, 1974
Mysouffa cumingii (= Acteon mysouffa cumingii) (A. Adams, 1855)
Distribution : Florida, Brazil
Length : 20 mm
Mysouffa turrita (Watson, 1883)
Distribution : Jamaica, Cuba, Caribbean
Length : 14 mm
Description : found at depths of around 700 m
Genus Neactaeonina Thiele, 1912
Genus Obrussena Iredale, 1930
Obrussena bracteata Iredale, 1930
Distribution : Australia
Obrussena moeshimaensis T. Habe, 1952
Distribution : Japan
Genus Ongleya Finlay & Marwick, 1937
Genus Ovulacteon Dall, 1889
Ovulacteon meekii Dall, 1889
Distribution : Cuba, Bahamas, East Brazil
Length : 5.5 mm
Description : found at depths of 360 to 820 m
Genus Pseudacteon Thiele, 1925. There is also a homonym genus Pseudacteon Coquillett, 1907, arthropods in the family Phoridae
Pseudacteon albus Sowerby III, 1873
Distribution : South Africa
Pseudacteon pusillus Forbes, 1844
Distribution : Florida, North Atlantic, Mediterranean
Length : 11 mm
Pseudacteon tenellus Loven, 1846
Pseudactaeon luteofasciatus (Mühlfeldt, 1829): synonym of Acteon tornatilis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Genus Punctacteon Kuroda & Habe, 1961
Punctacteon amakusaensis T. Habe, 1949
Distribution : Indo-Pacific
Punctacteon cebuanus Lan, 1985
Distribution : Philippines
Punctacteon eloisae Abbott, 1973 Eloise’s acteon
Distribution : Red Sea, Oman.
Length : 25–38 mm
Description: sublittoral on sandy bottoms; cream-colored shell with 5 convex whorls, each whorl with many spiral windings; each whorl is filled with redbrown separate patterns with darkbrown to black borders; similar to Maxacteon flammea.
Punctacteon fabraeus H. Crosse
Punctacteon kajiyamai T. Habe, 1976
Distribution : Indo-Pacific
Punctacteon kawamurai T. Habe, 1952
Distribution : Japan
Punctacteon kirai T. Habe, 1949
Distribution : Indo-Pacific off the Philippines
Length : 20 mm
Description : shell whitish to brownish; five whorls, first whorl being the largest; each whorl has many spiral windings; outer lip is notched.
Punctacteon variegatus (synonym: Acteon variegatus) Bruguière, 1789 Pink-spotted acteon
Distribution : Philippines, West Australia.
Length : 9–27 mm
Description : sublittoral on sandy bottoms; convex, cream-colored shell with five whorls, each whorls is covered with transverse pink-colored to lightbrown patterns, without dark borders; whirls with prominent shoulder.
Genus Pupa Röding, 1798:
Genus Rictaxis Dall, 1871:
The genus name is derived from Latin words, meaning “open mouth”, and “axis” referring to the columella.
Rictaxis albus Sowerby, 1873
Distribution : South Africa
Length : 10–21 mm
Description white shell with numerous spiraling white to lightbrown grooves
Rictaxis painei Dall, 1903
Distribution : America
Rictaxis punctocaelatus Carpenter, 1864 Barrel shell; Carpenter's baby bubble (synonym: Acteon punctocaelatus Carpenter, 1864)
Distribution : Southern Alaska, British Columbia, California
Length : 10–20 mm
Description : found in sand from lowtide line to depths up to 50 m; evenly elleptical shell with alternating darker brown and grayish-brown bands; outer lip and columellar folds are whitish; large spire; ovate columella strongly twisted, with a pointed posterior notch and a rounded base.
Rictaxis punctostriatus (C. B. Adams, 1840) Adam’s baby bubble, pitted baby bubble
Genus Tenuiacteon Aldrich, 1921
Tenuiacteon ambiguus Hutton, 1885
Genus Tomlinula Strand, 1932
Tomlinula turrita Watson, 1886
† Genus Volvaria Lamarck, 1801
Genera brought into synonymy
Actaeon Ersch & Gruber, 1818: synonym of Acteon Montfort, 1810
† Actaeonidea Gabb, 1872: synonym of Rictaxis Dall, 1871
Buccinulus H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854: synonym of Pupa Röding, 1798
Callostracon sensu Nordsieck, 1972: synonym of † Colostracon Hamlin, 1884
Crenilabrum Kobelt, 1892: synonym of Crenilabium Cossmann, 1889
Dactylus Schumacher, 1817: synonym of Pupa Röding, 1798
Japonacteon [sic]: synonym of Japonactaeon Taki, 1956
Lissactaeon Monterosato, 1890: synonym of Crenilabium Cossmann, 1889
Neoacteonina [sic] : synonym of Neactaeonina Thiele, 1912
Obrussa Iredale, 1925: synonym of Obrussena Iredale, 1930
Solidula Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of Pupa Röding, 1798
Strigopupa Habe, 1958: synonym of Pupa Röding, 1798
Tornatella Lamarck, 1816: synonym of Acteon Montfort, 1810
