Kingdom Animalia Clade Caenogastropoda Clade Neogastropoda Phylum Mollusca | Class Gastropoda Clade Hypsogastropoda Superfamily Conoidea Rank Family | |
 | ||
Similar Pseudomelatomidae, Amathinidae, Mangeliidae, Strepsiduridae, Clavatula | ||
Clavatulidae is a taxonomic family of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea. The family is not well differentiated morphologically.
Contents
Clavatulidae was raised, based on cladistic analysis, from subfamily to the family level by Rosenberg in 1998. It is no longer regarded as a subfamily of Turridae by several malacologists (Kantor, Sysoev). This family has no subfamilies.
General characteristics
This family consists of species with a medium-sized to rather large, fusiform shell. The oblong, pointed spire is rather high. The aperture is oval and mostly white. The operculum has a medio-lateral nucleus. The siphonal canal varies between rather short (e.g. Pusionella compacta) to moderately long and slightly incurved (e.g. Fusiturris undatiruga). The anal sinus varies from very shallow to rather deep. The outer lip can be slightly incurved and serrated on its side. The subsutural ramp is usually well developed. The sculpture of the shell in this family shows various forms, going from a rather smooth surface (e.g. Gemmuloborsonia colorata) to being finely ribbed longitudinally and striated transversally. The stenoglossan radula has the formula 1-(1-R-1)-1
Genera
Genera in the family Clavatulidae include:
Ecology
Species from family Clavatulidae are omnivores, predators and scavengers.