Buccinidae
Whelk ( Buccinum undatum )
The horn snails ( Buccinidae ) are a large and diverse family, almost exclusively of marine snails that are found in all oceans. Almost all members of the family are predators or scavengers that occur from the shallow waters to the deep sea.
Features
The housings are usually rechtsgewunden; but a few species are also linksgewunden. The size ranges from about 1 cm ( Pisania unicolor) up to 25 cm (eg Penion maximus). The housings are rounded to hochkonisch and usually ornamented more or less strong. The ornamentation often consists of axial ribs, some with knots and spiral strips. However, the ornamentation can also almost absent; Spines ( as in the closely related whelks ) are generally not formed. In a few species varices are formed that are annular housing thickened. The openings are of different sizes in relation to body size. In the estuary mouth of teeth can protrude, some species form spindle wrinkles out. The Siphonalausguss is usually short or moderately long; only one genus also very long ( Penion ). Shallow-water species may have distinct color pattern. The operculum is horny.
Life, the occurrence and distribution
The Buccinidae are spread throughout the world from the tropics to the Arctic waters. They occur almost exclusively in the marine environment. Only a few species penetrate well into the brackish water. The genus Clea, to which the Tower of prey snail belongs, lives in fresh water ( Mekong ). The deep center of gravity of the poor diffusion Buccinidae located in the sublittoral zone and in bathyal, although some species have a very large depth of tolerance, eg the whelk ( Buccinum undatum ) from the shallow subtidal down to 1500 m depth ), similar to the Common whelk ( Neptunea antiquarian ). Calliloconcha knudseni was found at a depth of 5480 m. Shallow-water species often occur in or near coral reefs. In the intertidal zone of the North American Atlantic coast, there are the genera Busycon and Busycotypus.
Life cycle
The Buccinidae are like most dioecious prosobranch. The eggs develop in egg capsules in which they are supplied by Nähreier. Since the stage of veliger is run in the capsules to hatch from these ready- young snails.
Nutrition
The types of Buccinidae are predators or scavengers. They prey on other snails ( Gastropoda ), mussels ( Bivalvia ), crustaceans (Crustacea ) and polychaetes ( Polychaeta ). Some species also feed on carrion, especially of dead fish. From a species is known to anbohrt shells using their radula. Of another kind is reported that she eats echinoderms ( Echinodermata ).
System
After Bouchet and Rocroi ( 2005), the family Buccinidae one of six families in the superfamily Buccinoidea. You divide the family Buccinidae in six subfamilies, which in part are further subdivided into numerous tribes:
- Buccininae Rafinesque, 1815 Buccinini Rafinesque, 1815
- Have Ancistroledidini & Sato, 1973
- Buccinulini Finlay, 1928
- Colini Gray, 1857
- Cominellini Gray, 1857
- Liomesini Fischer, 1884
- Have Parancistroledidini, 1972
- Prosiphonini Powell, 1951
- Have Volutopsiini & Sato, 1973
- Busyconiini Wade, 1917
- Busycotypini Petuch, 1994
- Clea Adams, 1855 Robbery tower snail, 1847