Horn snails

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Buccinidae
Whelk (Buccinum undatum)

Whelk ( Buccinum undatum )

Systematics
Superordinate : Caenogastropoda
Order : Sorbeoconcha
Subordination : Hypsogastropoda
Partial order : Neogastropoda
Superfamily : Buccinoidea
Family : Buccinidae
Scientific name
Buccinidae
Rafinesque , 1815

The horn snails ( Buccinidae ) are a large and diverse family, almost exclusively of marine snails , which occur in all oceans. Almost all members of the family are predators or scavengers, which occur from shallow water to the deep sea.

features

The cases are mostly right-handed; a few species are also left-handed. The size ranges from about 1 cm ( Pisania unicolor ) to 25 cm (e.g. Penion maximus ). The cases are rounded to highly conical and usually more or less heavily ornamented. The ornamentation often consists of axial ribs, e.g. Sometimes with knots and spiral stripes, but it can also be almost missing. Spines (as in the closely related spiny snails ) are generally not formed. In a few species, varices are formed, which are ring-shaped thickened cases. The mouths are of different sizes in relation to the case size. Muzzle teeth can protrude into the mouth, some species form spindle folds. The siphon spout is usually short or moderately long; only very long in one genus ( penion ). Shallow water species can have distinctive color patterns. The operculum is horny.

Way of life, occurrence and distribution

The Buccinidae are distributed worldwide from the tropics to the arctic waters. They occur almost exclusively in the marine environment. Only a few species penetrate the brackish water. The genus Clea , to which the robbery tower snail belongs, lives in fresh water ( Mekong ). The main focus of distribution of the Buccinidae lies in the sublittoral and bathyal, whereby some species have a very large depth tolerance, e.g. B. the whelk ( Buccinum undatum ) from the shallow sublittoral to a depth of 1500 m, similar to the common spindle snail ( Neptunea antiqua ). Calliloconcha knudseni was found at a depth of 5480 m. Shallow water species are common in or near coral reefs. In the intertidal zone of the North American Atlantic coast one finds the genera Busycon and Busycotype , on the Pacific coast Kelletia kelletii .

Life cycle

The Buccinidae, like most gill snails, are of separate sexes. The eggs develop in egg capsules, in which they are supplied by nourishing eggs. Since the capsules pass through the Veliger stage , ready-made snails hatch from them.

nutrition

The species of the Buccinidae are predators or scavengers. They prey on other snails (Gastropoda), mussels (Bivalvia), crustaceans (Crustacea) and polychaete (Polychaeta). Some species also feed on carrion, especially dead fish. One species is known to pierce shells with the help of its radula . Another species is reported to eat echinoderms (Echinodermata).

Systematics

According to Bouchet and Rocroi (2005), the family Buccinidae is one of six families in the superfamily Buccinoidea . They divide the family Buccinidae into six subfamilies, z. T. be further subdivided into numerous tribes :

  • Buccininae Rafinesque, 1815
    • Buccinini Rafinesque, 1815
    • Ancistroledidini Habe & Sato, 1973
    • Buccinulini Finlay, 1928
    • Colini Gray, 1857
    • Cominellini Gray, 1857
    • Liomesini Fischer, 1884
    • Parancistroledidini Habe, 1972
    • Prosiphonini Powell, 1951
    • Volutopsiini Habe & Sato, 1973
  • Beringiinae Golikov & Starobogatov, 1975
  • Busyconinae Wade, 1917
    • Busyconiini Wade, 1917
    • Busycotypini Petuch, 1994
  • Donovaniinae Casey, 1904
  • Pisaniinae Gray, 1857
  • Siphonaliinae Finlay, 1928
  • Genera, currently not assigned to subfamily (selection)

literature

  • Philippe Bouchet & Jean-Pierre Rocroi: Part 2. Working classification of the Gastropoda . Malacologia, 47: 239-283, Ann Arbor 2005, ISSN  0076-2997 .
  • Winston Ponder & David Lindberg, Towards a phylogeny of gastropod molluscs; an analysis using morphological characters . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 119: 83-265, London 1997, ISSN  0024-4082 .
  • Frank Riedel: Origin and evolution of the "higher" Caenogastropoda . Berliner Geoscientific Abhandlungen, Series E, Volume 32, Berlin 2000, 240 pages, ISBN 3-89582-077-6 .

Web links

Commons : Buccinidae  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ WoRMS Buccinidae Rafinesque, 1815