Cantharidus kelp shells , is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs of the family Trochidae, the top shells.
The shell has an ovate-conic or pyramidal shape. It is imperforate, smooth or spirally sculptured outside, brilliantly iridescent within. The colors are generally bright and variegated. The aperture is less than half the length of shell, longer than wide, ovate. The columella is usually more or less folded or toothed near the base.
The central tooth of the radula has a body with broadly expanded supporting wings, a narrowed peduncle or neck, which bears a simple cusp. This peduncle has on each side delicate wings. The lateral teeth number five on each side and ha ve as peculiarity that they increase in size from the inner to the outer one. The inner lateral is slender, narrowed toward the cusp, like the centrals, and (sometimes at any rate) bearing a lamella behind the peduncle. The outer laterals are very broad, with one or several denticles on the cusp. The only character separating Cantharidus from Gibbula Gibbula it is denticulate at the sides.
This genus is composed of marine species with a wide distribution, occurring off Australia , New Zealand , the Philippines , French Polynesia , South Korea , Japan , Indonesia , New Caledonia , Oceania , East India , Africa.
The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) includes the following species with valid names within the genus Cantharidus :
Cantharidus antipoda (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1854) Cantharidus artizona A. Adams, 1851 Cantharidus bisbalteatus Pilsbry , 1901Cantharidus bisculptus E.A. Smith Cantharidus burchorum Marshall, 1998 Cantharidus caelatus Hutton, 1884 Cantharidus capillaceus (Philippi , 1848) Cantharidus crenelliferus (Adams, 1853) Cantharidus dilatatus (Sowerby II, 1870) Cantharidus festivus (B. A. Marshall, 1998) Cantharidus fournieri (Crosse, 1863) Cantharidus fulminatus (Hutton, 1873) Cantharidus fultoni (G. B. Sowerby III, 1890) Cantharidus huttonii (E. A. Smith, 1876) Cantharidus japonicus (A. Adams, 1853) Cantharidus marmoreus Pease, W.H., 1868 Cantharidus mortenseni (Odhner, 1924) Cantharidus nolfi Poppe, Tagaro & Dekker, 2006 Cantharidus opalus (Martyn , 1784) Cantharidus pallidulus A. Adams, 1853 Cantharidus polychroma (A. Adams, 1853) Cantharidus pulcherrimus (W. Wood, 1828) Cantharidus purpureus (Gmelin ,1791) Cantharidus roseus (Hutton, 1873) Cantharidus rufozona A. Adams, 1851 Cantharidus sanguineus (Gray, J.E. in Dieffenbach, 1843) Cantharidus sendersi Poppe, Tagaro & Dekker, 2006 Cantharidus tenebrosus A. Adams, 1851 Cantharidus tessellatus (A. Adams, 1853) Cantharidus turneri (Powell, 1939) Cantharidus urbanus (Gould , 1861) The Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database also mentions the following species with names in current use :
Cantharidus callichroa (Philippi , 1849) Cantharidus infuscatus Gould, 1861 Cantharidus jessoensis Schrenck, L. von, 1863 Cantharidus pruninus Gould, 1849 Cantharidus vittata (Pilsbry, 1903) Species and subspecies within the genus Cantharidus include:
Cantharidus cinguliger A. Adams, 1851 Cantharidus fumosus Dillwyn , 1817Cantharidus iridis A. Adams, 1851 Cantharidus moniliger A. Adams, 1851 Cantharidus nigricans A. Adams, 1851 Cantharidus nitidulus A. Adams, 1851 (synonym: Trochus nitidulus Philippi )Cantharidus punctulosus A. Adams, 1851 Cantharidus purpuratus A. Adams, 1851 (synonym: Trochus purpuratus Martyn Species brought into synonymy Cantharidus artensis (P. Fischer, 1878) : synonym of Trochus artensis P. Fischer, 1878 Cantharidus articularis A. Adams, 1851 : synonym of Jujubinus interruptus (Wood, 1828) Cantharidus capillaceus coruscans (Hedley , 1916) : synonym of Cantharidus capillaceus (Philippi, 1848) Cantharidus columna Dall, 1890 : synonym of Halistylus columna (Dall, 1890) Cantharidus elongatus Wood : synonym of Thalotia elongata Sowerby, G.B. I, 1818 Cantharidus fultoni (Melvill, 1898) : synonym of Trochus fultoni Melvill, 1898 Cantharidus gilberti Montrouzier, 1878 : synonym of Cantharidus polychroma (A. Adams, 1853) Cantharidus hirasei Pilsbry, 1901 : synonym of Phasianotrochus hirasei (Pilsbry, 1901) Cantharidus iris (Gmelin, 1791) : synonym of Cantharidus opalus (Martyn, 1784) Cantharidus kotschyi (Philippi, 1849) : synonym of Osilinus kotschyi (Philippi, 1849) Cantharidus lepidus Philippi, R.A., 1849 : synonym of Strigosella lepida (Philippi, 1846) Cantharidus macquariensis (Hedley, 1916) : synonym of Margarella macquariensis Hedley, 1916 Cantharidus montagui (W. Wood, 1828) : synonym of Jujubinus montagui (Wood, 1828) Cantharidus oliveri Iredale, 1915 : synonym of Cantharidus sanguineus (Gray, 1843) Cantharidus parcipictus (Powel, 1946) : synonym of Cantharidus tenebrosus A. Adams, 1853 Cantharidus picturatum A. Adams, 1851 : synonym of Calliostoma picturatum (A. Adams, 1851) Cantharidus pliciferus Schepman, 1908 : synonym of Perrinia plicifera (Schepman, 1908) Cantharidus pruninus minor E. A. Smith, 1902 : synonym of Cantharidus capillaceus (Philippi, 1849) Cantharidus pruninus perobtusus Pilsbry, H.A., 1889 : synonym of Cantharidus capillaceus (Philippi, 1849) Cantharidus sanguineus bakeri Fleming, 1948 : synonym of Cantharidus artizona A. Adams, 1853 Cantharidus sanguineus var. caelatus Hutton, 1884 : synonym of Cantharidus caelatus Hutton, 1884 Cantharidus sanguineus cryptus (Powell, 1946) : synonym of Cantharidus sanguineus (Gray in Dieffenbach, 1843) Cantharidus sanguineus var. elongata Suter, 1897 : synonym of Cantharidus artizona A. Adams, 1853 Cantharidus simulatus Hutton : synonym of Cantharidus dilatatus (G. B. Sowerby II, 1870) Cantharidus suarezensis (P. Fischer, 1878) : synonym of Jujubinus suarezensis (P. Fischer, 1878) Cantharidus suturalis (A. Adams, 1853) : synonym of Prothalotia suturalis (A. Adams, 1853) Cantharidus tenebrosus var. huttonii (E.A. Smith, 1876) : synonym of Cantharidus huttonii (E. A. Smith, 1876) Cantharidus tristis Thiele, 1930 : synonym of Jujubinus polychromus (A. Adams, 1853) Cantharidus zealandicus A. Adams, 1851 : synonym of Cantharidus opalus (Martyn, 1784) 
