The Ranellidae,
common name the
triton
Triton commonly refers to:
* Triton (mythology), a Greek god
* Triton (moon), a satellite of Neptune
Triton may also refer to:
Biology
* Triton cockatoo, a parrot
* Triton (gastropod), a group of sea snails
* ''Triton'', a synonym of ''Triturus' ...
shells or tritons, are a
taxonomic family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
of small to very large
predatory
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...
sea snails,
marine gastropod 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 in the order
Littorinimorpha
Littorinimorpha is a large order of snails, gastropods, consisting primarily of sea snails (marine species), but also including some freshwater snails ( aquatic species) and land snails ( terrestrial species).Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.); Frý ...
.
Subfamilies
According to the
taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005, the family Ranellidae consisted of two subfamilies:
*Ranellinae Gray, 1854 - synonyms: Agrobuccininae Kilias, 1973; Simpulidae Dautzenberg, 1900; Gyrineinae Higo & Goto, 1993 (n.a.)
*Cymatiinae
Iredale, 1913 (1854) - synonyms: Tritoniidae H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 (inv.); Neptunellinae Gray, 1854; Lampusiidae Newton, 1891; Lotoriidae Harris, 1897; Septidae Dall & Simpson, 1901; Aquillidae Pilsbry, 1904; Nyctilochidae Dall, 1912; Charoniinae Powell, 1933
The Cymatiinae now form a separate family:
Cymatiidae.
Genera
The family Ranellidae contains the following genera:
* ''
Haurokoa'' C. A. Fleming, 1955 †
* ''
Obscuranella
''Obscuranella'' is a genus of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Ranellidae
The Ranellidae, common name the triton shells or tritons, are a taxonomic family of small to very large predatory sea snails, marine ...
'' Kantor & Harasewych, 2000
* ''
Priene
Priene ( grc, Πριήνη, Priēnē; tr, Prien) was an ancient Greek city of Ionia (and member of the Ionian League) located at the base of an escarpment of Mycale, about north of what was then the course of the Maeander River (now called th ...
'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1858
* ''
Ranella
''Ranella'' is a genus of large warm-water and tropical sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Ranellidae, the tritons.
Shell description
The shells of species within this genus are very large and solid, with a tall spire, a ro ...
'' Lamarck, 1816
References
* Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (2005). Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families. Malacologia. 47(1-2): 1-397
Further reading
*
Powell A W B, ''New Zealand Mollusca'',
William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979
* Glen Pownall, ''New Zealand Shells and Shellfish'', Seven Seas Publishing Pty Ltd, Wellington, New Zealand 1979
External links
Beu A.G. (1998). Résultats des Campagnes MUSORSTOM: 19. Indo-West Pacific Ranellidae, Bursidae and Personidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda), a monograph of the New Caledonian fauna and revisions of related taxa. Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. 178: 1-255
*
{{taxonbar, from=Q784667
Taxa named by John Edward Gray