Turbinidae

Pomaulax gibberosus

The turban snails ( Turbinidae ) are a large family meeresbewohnender, herbivorous snails with several hundred species.

Features

The dextral, mostly thick-walled casing of turban shells are spherical to top-shaped. The surface may be smooth or sculptured stronger. The inside of the housing has mother of pearl. From the similar centrifugal snails they are clearly distinguished by the calcareous operculum, which provides its strength relatively good protection against predators.

Dissemination and lifestyle

The turban snails are found in all oceans of the polar regions to the tropics, both in small and large depths, but most species live in shallow tropical and subtropical waters. They feed on algae and detritus.

System

Bouchet and Rocroi (2005 ) represent the turban snails to Vetigastropoda, a superorder of subclass Orthogastropoda. You divide the family into eight subfamilies:

• Turbininae Rafinesque, 1815 - Synonyms: Senectinae Swainson, 1840; Imperatorinae Gray, 1847; Astraliinae H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854; Astraeinae Davies, 1935; Bolmidae Delpey, 1941
• Angariinae Gray, 1857 - synonym: Delphinulinae Stoliczka, 1868
• Colloniinae Cossmann, 1917 Tribus Colloniini Cossmann, 1917 - synonym: Bothropomatinae Thiele, 1924 ( inv ); Homalopomatinae Keen, 1960; Petropomatinae Cox, 1960
• Tribus † Adeorbisinini Monari, Conti & Szabo, 1995
• Tribus † Crossostomatini Cox, 1960
• Tribus † Helicocryptini Cox, 1960

The turban snails ( Turbinidae ) were placed in the no longer current system by Johannes Thiele to the Altschnecken ( Archaeogastropoda ), an order of prosobranch ( Prosobranchia ).