Muricoidea is a taxonomic superfamily of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Neogastropoda.
This superfamily includes the murex snails, the chank snails, the true whelks, the dove snails, the crown conchs and busycon whelks, the spindle and tulip snails, the volutes and olives, the harp snails, the margin snails, the miters, and others.
The shell of the snails in this superfamily vary greatly in shape and degree of ornamentation. The shells have an oval aperture, and a noticeable siphonal canal.
Families within the superfamily Muricoidea are as follows:
family Babyloniidae Kuroda, Habe & Oyama, 1971 -- 2 current genera
family Costellariidae MacDonald, 1860 -- 11 genera
family Cystiscidae Stimpson, 1865 -- 15 genera
family Harpidae Bronn, 1849 -- 4 genera
family Marginellidae Fleming, 1828 -- 30 genera
family Mitridae Swainson, 1829 -- 19 genera
family Muricidae Rafinesque, 1815 -- 159 genera
family Pholidotomidae Cossmann, 1896 †
family Pleioptygmatidae Quinn, 1989 -- 1 genus
family Strepsiduridae Cossmann, 1901 -- 1 genus
family Turbinellidae Swainson, 1835 -- 14 genera
family Volutidae Rafinesque, 1815 -- 49 genera
family Volutomitridae Gray, 1854 -- 7 genera
Synonyms
Columbariidae Tomlin, 1928 : synonym of Columbariinae Tomlin, 1928
Concholepadidae Perrier, 1897 : synonym of Rapaninae Gray, 1853
Coralliophilidae Chenu, 1859 : synonym of Coralliophilinae Chenu, 1859
Cynodontidae MacDonald, 1860 : synonym of Vasinae H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 (1840)
Dipsaccinae P. Fischer, 1884 : synonym of Babyloniidae Kuroda, Habe & Oyama, 1971
Eburninae Swainson, 1840 : synonym of Babyloniidae Kuroda, Habe & Oyama, 1971
Latrunculinae Cossmann, 1901 : synonym of Babyloniidae Kuroda, Habe & Oyama, 1971
Magilidae Thiele, 1925 : synonym of Coralliophilinae Chenu, 1859
Melapiidae Kantor, 1991 : synonym of Strepsiduridae Cossmann, 1901
Nucellidae Salisbury, 1940 : synonym of Ocenebrinae Cossmann, 1903
Pakaurangia Finlay, 1926 : synonym of Calliotectum Dall, 1890
Purpuridae Children, 1823 : synonym of Rapaninae Gray, 1853
Rapidae Kuroda, 1941 : synonym of Coralliophilinae Chenu, 1859
Thaididae Jousseaume, 1888 : synonym of Rapaninae Gray, 1853
Vasidae H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 : synonym of Turbinellidae Swainson, 1835
Xancidae Pilsbry, 1922 : synonym of Turbinellidae Swainson, 1835
