Within the Conoidea, the Raphitomidae are one of the most difficult family to describe by shell morphology only. Indeed, none of the external characteristics or group of characteristics shared by all the genera of this family is peculiar enough to be of any use in a description. The only thing that connects these animals is the lineage, and the lineage is not seen with the naked eye.
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Clathromangelia Monterosato, 1884:« The shell is small (5-8mm height) and ovate. Aperture moderately narrow, with nearly parallel sides, a short anterior canal and a shallow but evident posterior sinus. The teleoconch sculpture is coarsely clathrate, with axial ribs over-ridden by nearly equidistant spiral cords; intersections are gemmulate. Two or three spiral cords on the spire whorls. Colour from white to dark brown, typically yellowish. […] All Recent species belong exclusively to the Mediterranean fauna, with no record from Atlantic waters. » – M. Oliverio: “The systematics of the radula-less gastropod Clathromangelia (Caenogastropoda, Conoidea)”, Zoologica Scripta vol.24(3), july 2005, p.194-195. |
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Cyrillia Kobelt, 1905:Shell small, biconical, with rounded whorls and a marked suture. Protoconch multispiral: embryonic shell with a microsculpture of spirals and axials; larval shell with a diagonally cancellate sculpture, and slightly keeled at least on the last whorl. Teleoconch: strong sculpture of broad axials crossed by spirals. In adult shells, the outer lip is thickened, serrated inside, with the two first anterior denticles a little stronger. Columella slightly sinuous anteriorly. Siphonal canal short; siphonal notch conspicuous. |
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Gymnobela Verrill, 1884:Shell small to medium-sized, ovate to biconical, thin; protoconch conical, with a sculpture of diagonal cancellations; spire shorter than body whorl, conical, somewhat scalariform; body whorl inflated; aperture narrow, with a short anterior canal. |
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Leufroyia Monterosato, 1884:Shell small to medium-sized, suboval to fusiform, close to Raphitoma Bellardi. Protoconch of circa 3½ whorls: embryonic shell with a sculpture of spirals crossed by axials, larval shell with diagonally cancellate sculpture. No discernible keel. Teleoconch with 5 to 7 convex whorls; sculpture of thin, numerous low spiral cords and broader, wavy axial ribs. Aperture almost as long as the spire, devoid of labial denticles; columella slightly sinuous near the siphonal canal; posterior notch cconspicuous. |
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Pleurotomella Verrill, 1872:Shell small to medium-sized, with as spire as high as the body whorl; whorls often shouldered, at least slightly concave subsuturally (this area « corresponding to the posterior notch in the outer lip » (Verrill) and « strongly convex in the middle » (dito); sculpture made of strong axials, sometimes sharp sometimes obsolete but always prevalent, crossed by weaker spirals; aperture narrow anteriorly, deeply notched posteriorly. Protoconch of 2½ whorls, densely latticed diagonally, and often brownish while the teleoconch is whitish. |
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Raphitoma Bellardi, 1847:« Small to medium-sized, elongated, turreted shell with uniformly convex whorls. Pronounced reticulate sculpture of strong axial ribs and strong spiral cords. A characteristic multispiral, cancellated, “raphitomine” protoconch of 3 to 4 whorls (or similar species with paucispiral protoconchs). » – T. Høisaeter: “A taxonomic review of the Norwegian species of Raphitoma”, Fauna Norvegica vol.36, Trondheim 2016, p.12. As in Cyrilia, presence of a keel on the last protoconch whorl. The genus is especially well represented in Mediterranean. |
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Taranis Jeffreys, 1870:Shell minute, devoid of anal sinus, with a reticulate sculpture; whorls strongly keeled, separated from each other by a marked suture. The radial ribs are opisthocline above the suture, and prosocline below. Apex obtuse. Siphonal canal short, open. |
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Teretia Norman, 1888:« Shell up to about 12 mm in length, narrowly fusiform to fusiform, sculpture predominant spiral consisting of spiral cords of nearly equal strength or with a peripheral cord stronger than other cords. Axial growth lines forming at most weak plicules on subsutural ramp. Aperture lanceolate, outer lip simple forming a deep to very deep sinus immediately beneath the suture. Protoconch planktotrophic, narrowly conical with diagonally cancellate sculpture. » – Morassi & Bonfitto: “ew Indo-Pacific species of the genus Teretia Norman, 1888 (Gastropoda: Raphitomidae)”, Zootaxa vol.3911(4), Auckland 2015, p.561. |
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