The Drilliidae are a taxonomic family of small predatory sea snails with high-spired shells. They are classified as marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.
This family has no subfamilies. It consists of about 30 genera and approximately 500 recent species.
Description The shell is claviform with a tall spire, or squatly conical to biconical. In many species, the siphonal canal is truncated. The aperture is U-shaped with a parietal callus pad.
The sculpture of the shell shows prominent axial ribs with a polished surface. Most species have a dorsal varix (transverse elevation), except in the genera Cymatosyrinx, Elaeocyma and Splendrillia. The protoconch can be smooth or very carinate. The ovate operculum has a terminal nucleus. Chen-Kwoh Chang, Small Turrids of Taiwan, Chapter 3, History and Taxonomy of the Clavidae; June 1, 2001
The radula of the species in this family have characteristically five teeth in each row (formula: 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1) with a vestigial central tooth, comb-like lateral teeth and a pair of flat-pointed, slender marginal teeth.
The foregut structure of the anterior alimentary system has the least derived foregut anatomy of all the families in the superfamily Conoidea. Brian Morton, The Malacofauna of Hong Kong and southern China
Distribution This family has wide distribution, ranging from Iceland to the Antarctic Ocean, found at intertidal to abyssal depths. This is reflected in the variability in larval shells and the size of the shell (from a few millimetres to 6 cm) and the characteristics of the protoconch and the teleoconch.Andrea Nappo, Xabier Rey, Daniel Pellegrini, Giuseppe Bonomolo & Fabio Crocetta, Revisiting the disjunct distribution of Conopleura Hinds, 1844 (Mollusca:Gastropoda: Drilliidae); Zootaxa 4392 (3): 567–587]
Taxonomic history The genera in this family were originally separated from the subfamily Clavitulinae and classified by H.& A. Adams (1858) under subfamily Turritinae, because their operculum has a terminal instead of a central nucleus. In 1942, the species with a U-shaped sinus and a parietal callus pad were brought by Powell in the new subfamily Clavinae. In 1966, Morrison proposed the subfamily Drillinae (= Clavinae) for the species with a stenoglossan radula with comb-like lateral teeth. Finally, in 1993, Taylor et al. proposed the promotion of Drillinae from subfamily to the family level Drilliidae.Taylor, J.D., Kantor, Y.I& Sysoev, A.V., 1993 . Foregut anatomy, feeding mechanisms, relationships and classification of the Conoidea (=Toxoglossas) (Gastropoda) Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. Lond .(Zool) 5(2): 125-170
Taxonomy Genera in the family Drilliidae include:WoRMS (2010). Drilliidae. 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=23032 on1 September 2011
Acinodrillia Kilburn, 1988 Agladrillia Woodring, 1928 Bellaspira Conrad, 1868 Calliclava McLean, 1971 Cerodrillia Bartsch & Rehder, 1939 Clathrodrillia Dall, 1918 Clavus Montfort, 1810 Conopleura Hinds, 1844 Crassopleura Monterosato, 1884 Cruziturricula Marks, 1951 Cymatosyrinx Dall, 1889 Decoradrillia Fallon, 2016 Douglassia Bartsch, 1934 Drillia Gray, 1838 Elaeocyma Dall, 1918 Eumetadrillia Woodring, 1928 Fenimorea Bartsch, 1934 Fusiturricula Woodring, 1928 Globidrillia Woodring, 1928 Hauturua Powell, 1942 Imaclava Bartsch, 1944 Iredalea Oliver, 1915 Kylix Dall, 1919 Leptadrillia Woodring, 1928 Lissodrillia Bartsch & Rehder, 1943 Neodrillia Bartsch, 1943 Orrmaesia Kilburn, 1988 Paracuneus Laseron, 1954 Plagiostropha Melvill, 1927 † Pleurofusia de Gregorio, 1890 Sedilia Fargo, 1953 Spirotropis Sars, 1878 Splendrillia Hedley, 1922 Stenodrillia Korobkov, 1955 Syntomodrillia Hedley, 1922 Wairarapa Vella, 1954
Genera brought into synonymy Brephodrillia Pilsbry & Lowe, 1932: synonym of Iredalea Clavicantha Swainson, 1840: synonym of Clavus Montfort, 1810 Eldridgea Bartsch, 1934: synonym of Clavus Montfort, 1810 Fusisyrinx Bartsch, 1934: synonym of Fusiturricula Woodring, 1928 Tylotia Melvill, 1917: synonym of Clavus Montfort, 1810 Tylotiella Habe, 1958: synonym of Clavus Montfort, 1810 Genera moved to other families Austroclavus (unassigned to a family within Conoidea) Brachytoma moved to the family Pseudomelatomidae Sediliopsis Petuch, 1988: moved to the family Pseudomelatomidae
References
The Taxonomicon
External links
WMSDB - Worldwide Mollusc Species Data Base: family Drilliidae