Ovulidae

Ovulidae, common names the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries, is a family of small to large predatory or parasitic sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and the cowry allies.MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Ovulidae J. Fleming, 1822. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1747 on 2020-05-25

Distribution The ovulids are a widespread family, occurring mostly in tropical and subtropical waters, with most species in the Indo-West Pacific region. But a few species live in temperate waters.

Habitat

Ovulids are carnivorous molluscs that feed on polyps and tissues of Anthozoa (as do the genera Cyphoma and Pseudocyphoma). They live on, and eat, soft corals and sea fans, and they are usually regarded as ectoparasites of these sessile colonial organisms, to which they are anchored by a long and narrow foot. This extreme specialisation in their alimentary regime has caused important morphological modifications to their radula.Thiele J. (1929). Handbuch der Systematischen Weichtierkunde, 1. Fischer, Jena, 376 pp.Vayssière A. (1923). "Recherches zoologiques et anatomiques sur les mollusques de la famille des Cypraeidés, 1ère partie". Annales du Musée d’Histoire naturelle de Marseille Zoologie 18(1921): 1–120. Plates 1–14.

Shell description Ovulids mostly have smooth shiny shells with a very long aperture and a very low or invisible spire. The shell can be pyriform (shaped like a pear), ovate (egg-shaped) to sub-ovate, cylindrical or lanceolate (lance-shaped).

The shell is often monochromatic white, but in some species the shell is pink or reddish.

In a few species of ovulids, the shell quite closely resembles that of cowries. However in many other species, the shells are so elongate that they do not so much resemble the shells of that closely related family.

When these snails are alive, the mantle completely covers the shell almost all of the time. Pictures of living animals usually show the brightly colored and decorated mantle, which looks very different from the often rather plain, shiny surface of the shell.

The color patterns of the mantle closely resemble the color patterns of the host species. This is due to the phenomenon of "alimentary homochromy" (obtaining the same color as the host by feeding on the host). This phenomenon gives them a remarkable camouflage ability.

Taxonomy 2005 taxonomy The following five subfamilies have been recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005): Ovulinae Fleming, 1822 tribe Ovulini Fleming, 1822 – synonyms: Amphiperatidae Gray, 1853; Simniini Schilder, 1927; Volvini Schilder, 1932 tribe Eocypraeini Schilder, 1924 – synonym: Sulcocypraeini Schilder, 1932 † Cypraediinae Schilder, 1927 Jenneriinae Thiele, 1929 – synonym: Cyproglobinini Schilder, 1932 Pediculariinae Gray, 1853 Pseudocypraeinae Steadman & Cotton, 1943

See also Schiaparelli et al. (2005).

2007 taxonomy Fehse (2007)Fehse D. (2007). "Contributions to the knowledge of the Ovulidae. XVI. The higher systematics". Spixiana 30(1): 121–125. PDF . have elevated subfamily Pediculariinae to family Pediculariidae and tribe Eocypraeini to family Eocypraeidae both to family level based on morphological research of the radulae, shell and animal morphology and the molecular phylogeny research of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Subsequently he has established new subfamilies Prionovolvinae and Aclyvolvinae.

family Ovulidae subfamily Eocypraeinae F. A. Schilder, 1924 subfamily Prionovolvinae Fehse, 2007 subfamily Simniinae Schilder, 1925 subfamily Ovulinae Fleming, 1828 subfamily Aclyvolvinae Fehse, 2007

Genera Genera within the family Ovulidae include:

Subfamily Eocypraeinae F. A. Schilder, 1924 (synonym: Prionovolvinae Fehse, 2007) Adamantia Cate, 1973: synonym of Diminovula Iredale, 1930 † Allmoniella Dolin & Dockery, 2018 Amonovula Fehse, 2019 † Apiocypraea F. A. Schilder, 1927 Archivolva F. Lorentz, 2009 Calpurnus Montfort, 1810< Carpiscula Cate, 1973 Crenavolva Cate, 1973 Cuspivolva Cate, 1973 Dentiovula Hinds, 1844 Diminovula Iredale, 1930 † Eocypraea Cossmann, 1903 † Eotrivia Schilder, 1924 † Eschatocypraea Schilder, 1966 Globovula Cate, 1973 † Grovesia Dolin & Ledon, 2002 Habuprionovolva Azuma, 1970 Lacrima Cate, 1973 † Oxycypraea F. A. Schilder, 1927 Primovula Thiele, 1925 Prionovolva Iredale, 1930 Procalpurnus Thiele, 1939 Prosimnia Schilder, 1925 Pseudosimnia Schilder, 1925 Rotaovula Cate & Azuma in Cate, 1973 Sandalia Cate, 1973 Serratovolva Cate, 1973 † Taviania Dolin & Pacaud, 2009 Stohleroma Cate, 1973: synonym of Cuspivolva C. N. Cate, 1973 Testudovolva Cate, 1973

Subfamily Simniinae Schilder, 1925 Cymbovula Cate, 1973 Cyphoma Röding, 1798 Dissona Cate, 1973 Neosimnia Fischer, 1884 – synonym: Spiculata Cate, 1973 Pseudocyphoma Cate, 1973 Simnia Risso, 1826 Simnialena Cate, 1973

Subfamily Ovulinae Fleming, 1828 Calcarovula Cate, 1973 Kurodavolva Azuma, 1987 Ovula Bruguière, 1789 Pellasimnia Iredale, 1931 Phenacovolva Iredale, 1930 Takasagovolva Azuma, 1974 Volva Röding, 1798 Xandarovula Cate, 1973

Subfamily Aclyvolvinae Aclyvolva Cate, 1973 Hiatavolva Cate, 1973 Kuroshiovolva Azuma & Cate, 1971

subfamily placement? Amonovula (Petuch, 1973) Aperiovula Cate, 1973 Delonovolva Cate, 1973 Subsimnia

References

Ovulidae

Bron en licentie