Columbellidae

Mitrella carinata on the red alga Botryocladia pseudodichotoma

The Täubchenschnecken ( Columbellidae ) are a large family exclusively marine snails. The approximately 400 living species are mostly herbivorous or specialize in eating smaller, sessile animals. First representatives of Columbellidae appear in the fossil record already in the Eocene ( Paleogene, " Tertiary " )

Features

The housing and have a right wound adult size of about 2 mm to about 5 cm. The housing forms ranging from ovoid to hochkonisch. The ornamentation is moderate; it ranges from almost smooth housings with clear Anwachsstreifung to strong ribs with flat knot. Many housing show striking color patterns. The foot is small to moderately large; an operculum is usually present. The shell forms a short Siphonalkanal. The lengthy probe sitting on a relatively small head. The mantle cavity is remarkably long.

Way of life

The focus of the distribution lies in the tropical and subtropical waters. However, individual species penetrated in colder seas before (on the northern hemisphere up to the Lofoten Islands, in the Southern Hemisphere to New Zealand). They are mostly shallow-water dwellers, pronounced deep-sea forms are rare ( max. depth: 3360 m). They live on soft soils, sandy soils, rocks and coral rubble. They graze on the algae growth, which in most cases small, sessile animals are included. Other species have specialized in grazing on hydroids. One type is specialized in feeding on eggs or clutches of eggs of other snails.

System

The family is subdivided according to Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) into two subfamilies:

• Columbellinae Swainson, 1840
• Atilinae Cossmann, 1901