The Columbellidae, the dove snails or dove shells, are a family of minute to small sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the order Neogastropoda.[2] [3]

Columbellidae
Live individual of the columbellid species Alia carinata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Buccinoidea
Family: Columbellidae
Swainson, 1840[1]
Genera

See text

Synonyms[2]
  • Anachidae Golikov & Starobogatov, 1972
  • Pyrenidae Suter, 1909
Pardalinops testudinaria

These snails are characterized by their elongated, spiral shells and their carnivorous feeding habits. The family Columbellidae comprises numerous genera and species, many of which share similar shell morphologies and ecological niches.

Distribution

edit

Species in this family are found worldwide,[4] but are most abundant in shallow tropical water.

Subfamilies

edit

According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005), the family Columbellidae consists of two subfamilies:

Genera

edit

The family Columbellidae contains these genera:

subfamily Atiliinae
subfamily Columbellinae

Synonyms

edit
  • Atilia H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 - type genus of the subfamily Atiliinae: synonym of Anachis H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853
  • Columbellopsis Bucquoy, Dautzenberg and Dollfus, 1882: synonym of Mitrella Risso, 1826
  • Minipyrene Coomans, 1967: synonym of Mitromorpha P. P. Carpenter, 1865

References

edit
  1. ^ Swainson (1840). Treat. Malacol. 152, 313.
  2. ^ a b Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2010). Columbellidae. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=23009 on 2010-11-04
  3. ^ Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.); Frýda J., Hausdorf B., Ponder W., Valdes A. & Warén A. 2005. Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families. Malacologia: International Journal of Malacology, 47(1-2). ConchBooks: Hackenheim, Germany. ISBN 3-925919-72-4. ISSN 0076-2997. 397 pp. http://www.vliz.be/Vmdcdata/imis2/ref.php?refid=78278
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-12-22. Retrieved 2007-12-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
edit