Kingdom Animalia Class Gastropoda Rank Subfamily | Phylum Mollusca Superfamily Pyramidelloidea | |
Similar Eulimella, Pyramidellidae, Turbonilla, Amathinidae, Pyramidella | ||
Turbonillinae is a subfamily of mostly minute parasitic sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Pyramidellidae, the pyrams and their allies.
Contents
- Taxonomy
- Genera
- Problematic genera within the family Turbonillinae
- Distribution
- Shell description
- Life habits
- References
This subfamily has been shown to be monophyletic
Taxonomy
In the taxonomy of Schander, Van Aartsen & Corgan (1999) Turbonillinae is a part of the family Turbonillidae.
According to Schander, Van Aartsen & Corgan (1999) there are 27 genera within the Turbonillinae.
Turbonillinae has been one of eleven recognised subfamilies in the family Pyramidellidae (according to the taxonomy of Ponder & Lindberg, 1997).
In the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005), this subfamily comprises the subfamilies Cingulininae and Eulimellinae, that have been downgraded to the rank of tribe.
In 2010 the subfamily Turbonillinae has been recognized as monophyletic
Genera
Genera within the subfamily Turbonillinae include:
tribe Turbonillini
tribe Cingulinini
tribe Eulimellini
tribe ?
Problematic genera within the family Turbonillinae
The following genera were difficult to place within the subfamily Turbonillinae (= Turbonillini + Cingulinini + Eulimellini):
The genus Ebala was previously placed in the Eulimellinae, but was then placed in the family Ebalidae, that is a synonym of Murchisonellidae.
Distribution
This family is found worldwide.
Shell description
The shell of these snails has a blunt, heterostrophic protoconch, which is pointed sideways. The shell of most species are rather high and slender.
The texture of these shells is usually ribbed sculptured in various forms and often also have more or less prominent spirals. Their color is mostly white, cream or yellowish, sometimes with red or brown lines.
The adult shell, the teleoconch is dextrally coiled, but the larval shells are sinistral. This results in a sinistrally coiled protoconch. The opening of the shell, the aperture is closed by a lid, a so called operculum.
Life habits
The Turbonillinae are ectoparasites, feeding mainly on other molluscs and on annelid worms.
They do not have a radula. Instead their long proboscis is used to pierce the skin of its prey and suck up its fluids and soft tissues. The eyes on the grooved tentacles are situated toward the base of the tentacles. Between the head and the foot, a lobed process called the mentum (= thin projection) is visible.
These molluscs are hermaphrodites.