Coralliophilinae is a

taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

group, a

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

of about 200–250

sea snail Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

s commonly known as the

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

snails or coral shells. This is a subfamily within the very large family Muricidae, the murex or rock snails. According to the

taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005) The taxonomy of the Gastropoda as it was revised in 2005 by Philippe Bouchet and Jean-Pierre Rocroi is a system for the scientific classification of gastropod mollusks. (Gastropods are a taxonomic class of animals which consists of snails and ...

, this group is considered to be a subfamily, the Coralliophilinae, of the family Muricidae.Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.); Frýda J., Hausdorf B., Ponder W., Valdés Á. & Warén A. 2005. ''Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families''. Malacologia: International Journal of Malacology, 47(1-2). ConchBooks: Hackenheim, Germany. . . 397 pp. http://www.vliz.be/Vmdcdata/imis2/ref.php?refid=78278 Prior to the

, the ''Coralliophilinae'' was recognized as a distinct family the Coralliophilidae. The subfamily Coralliophilinae is

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

, as confirmed by genetic research with molecular markers.

Distribution and habitat

The coral snails are coral dwellers that occur worldwide in temperate and tropical seas. They can be found in very diverse places such as the mid-Atlantic seamounts, the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

, the

deep water coral The habitat of deep-water corals, also known as cold-water corals, extends to deeper, darker parts of the oceans than tropical corals, ranging from near the surface to the abyss, beyond where water temperatures may be as cold as . Deep-water cor ...

banks in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

, from the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...

to Brazil, the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

Region, the southwest Pacific, the

Austral Islands The Austral Islands (french: Îles Australes, officially ''Archipel des Australes;'' ty, Tuha'a Pae) are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic in the South Pacific. Geographically, ...

(South Pacific). Such a dispersal of the subfamily can be attributed to oceanic currents and planktotrophic larval development. These snails are specialist feeders, feeding exclusively on

anthozoa Anthozoa is a subphylum of marine invertebrates which includes the sea anemones, Scleractinia, stony corals and Alcyonacea, soft corals. Adult anthozoans are almost all attached to the seabed, while their larvae can disperse as part of the plank ...

ns by boring into them. A few live between

soft coral Alcyonacea, or soft corals, are an order of corals. In addition to the fleshy soft corals, the order Alcyonacea now contains all species previously known as "gorgonian corals", that produce a more or less hard skeleton, though quite different f ...

s and anemones and use their long and extensible

proboscis A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a proboscis is an elong ...

to ingest the soft tissue. Some feed on sea fans.

Genera

Genera within the subfamily Coralliophilinae include: * ''

Babelomurex ''Babelomurex'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Species Species within the genus ''Babelomurex'' include: * '' Babelomurex armatus'' Sowerby III, 1912 * '' Babelomu ...

'' Coen, 1922 * ''

Coralliophila ''Coralliophila'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Coralliophilinae, the coral snails, within the family Muricidae, the murex snails and rock snails. The genus ''Coralliophila'' is most probably polyphyletic ...

'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''

Emozamia ''Emozamia'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Coralliophilinae, the coral snails, within the family Muricidae, the murex snails and rock snails. Species Species In biology, a species is the basic unit of ...

'' Iredale, 1929 *''

Hirtomurex ''Hirtomurex'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Coralliophilinae, the coral snails, within the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, m ...

'' Coen, 1922 * ''

Latiaxis ''Latiaxis'' is a genus of medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae, subfamily Coralliophilinae, the coral snails or coral shells. Species Species within the genus ''Latiaxis'' include: * ''Latiaxis bernardi ...

'' Swainson, 1840 * ''

Leptoconchus ''Leptoconchus'' is a genus of medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae, subfamily Coralliophilinae Coralliophilinae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic group, a family (biology), subfamily of about 200–250 se ...

'' Rüppell, 1834 * '' Liniaxis'' Laseron, 1955 * ''

Magilus ''Magilus'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly known as murex snails or ...

'' Montfort, 1810 * '' Mipus'' de Gregorio, 1885Gofas, S. (2010). ''Mipus'' de Gregorio, 1885. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.eu/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=205148 on 2010-08-01 * '' Rapa'' Röding, 1798 * '' Rhizochilus'' Steenstrup, 1850 ;Genera brought into synonymy : * ''Aradasia'' Settepassi, 1970 = synonym of ''Coralliophila'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Aradomurex'' Coen, 1947 = synonym of ''Coralliophila'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Coralliobia'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 = synonym of ''Coralliophila'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Echinolatiaxis'' Kosuge, 1979 = synonym of ''Babelomurex'' Coen, 1922 * ''Fusomurex'' Coen, 1922 = synonym of ''Coralliophila'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Laevilatiaxis'' Kosuge, 1979 = synonym of ''Babelomurex'' Coen, 1922 * ''Lamellatiaxis'' Habe & Kosuge, 1970 = synonym of ''Babelomurex'' Coen, 1922 * ''Langfordia'' Dall, 1924 = synonym of ''Babelomurex'' Coen, 1922 * ''Latimurex'' : synonym of ''Latiromurex'' Coen, 1922 * ''Latiromurex'' Coen, 1922 = synonym of ''Coralliophila'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Lepadomurex'' Coen, 1922 = synonym of ''Coralliophila'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Magilopsis'' G.B. Sowerby III, 1919 = synonym of ''Leptoconchus'' Rüppell, 1834 * '' Pseudomurex'' Monterosato, 1872 = synonym of ''Coralliophila'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Quoyula'' Iredale, 1912 = synonym of ''Coralliophila'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Rapella'' Swainson, 1840 = synonym of ''Rapa'' Röding, 1798 * ''Reliquiaecava'' Massin, 1987 = synonym of ''Coralliophila'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Rhombothais'' Woolacott, 1954 = synonym of ''Coralliophila'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Tarantellaxis'' Habe, 1970 = synonym of ''Babelomurex'' Coen, 1922 * ''Tolema'' Iredale, 1929 = synonym of ''Babelomurex'' Coen, 1922 Within this subfamily, the systematics at species level is problematic as many adult species show broad intraspecific morphologic variability that also depends on the substrate they live. The morphology of the

protoconch A protoconch (meaning first or earliest or original shell) is an embryonic or larval shell which occurs in some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod. In older texts it is also called ...

is usually very helpful as a taxonomic character.

References

* Vaught, K.C. (1989). ''A classification of the living Mollusca''. American Malacologists: Melbourne, FL (USA). . XII, 195 pp {{Taxonbar, from=Q18175283 Muricidae Taxa named by Jean-Charles Chenu