''Xenophora'', commonly called carrier shells, is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of medium-sized to large sea

snails A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastro ...

, 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

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 ...

Xenophoridae Xenophoridae, commonly called carrier shells, is a family of medium-sized to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Littorinimorpha. According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) the family Xenophor ...

, the carrier snails or carrier shells. WoRMS (2012). Xenophora. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138664 on 2012-06-28 The genus ''Xenophora'' is the type genus of the family Xenophoridae.

Etymology

The name ''Xenophora'' comes from two ancient Greek words, and means "bearing foreigners", so-called because in most species the snail cements pieces of rock or shells to its own shell at regular intervals as the shell grows.

Description

The shells of species within this genus vary from small to large (diameter of base without attachments 19-90 mm; height of shell 21-60 mm), depressed-conical, with narrow to very narrow, simple peripheral edge, non-porcellanous ventrally. Foreign objects are attached to all

whorls A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...

, with generally more than 30% of dorsal surface obscured by these objects. The foreign objects are usually medium-sized to large.Kreipl, K. & Alf, A. (1999): ''Recent Xenophoridae''. 148 pp. incl. 28 color plts. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, . Although the foreign objects are usually mollusk shells, pebbles, or small pieces of coral rock, in some instances a bottle cap has been attached by the snail to its shell.

Species

The genus ''Xenophora'' includes the following species and subspecies: * '' Xenophora minuta'' Qi & Ma, 1986 * '' Xenophora robusta'' Verrill, 1870 ; Subgenus ''Xenophora (Austrophora)'' Kreipl, Alf & Kronenberg, 1999 * '' Xenophora flindersi'' (Cotton & Godfrey, 1938) ;Subgenus ''Xenophora (Xenophora)'' Fischer von Waldheim, 1807 * '' Xenophora cerea'' ( Reeve, 1845) * '' Xenophora chinensis'' Philippi, 1841) * ''

Xenophora conchyliophora ''Xenophora conchyliophora'' is a species of medium-sized to large sea snail, a marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusk in the family (biology), family Xenophoridae, the carrier shells. Distribution This is a Western Atlantic species. Descrip ...

'' ( Born, 1780) - American carriersnail (

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specime ...

of ''Xenophora'') * '' Xenophora corrugata'' ( Reeve, 1842) * '' Xenophora crispa'' (König, 1825) * '' Xenophora granulosa'' Ponder, 1983 * '' Xenophora japonica'' Kuroda & Habe in Kuroda et al., 1971 *'' Xenophora mekranensis'' (Newton, 1905) **'' Xenophora mekranensis konoi'' Habe, 1953 * '' Xenophora neozelanica'' Suter, 1908 - New Zealand carriershell ** ''Xenophora neozelandica neozelandica'' Suter, 1908 ** ''Xenophora neozelandica kermadecensis'' Ponder, 1983 * '' Xenophora pallidula'' ( Reeve, 1842) - pallid carrier shell * '' Xenophora peroniana'' (Iredale, 1929) ** ''Xenophora peroniana peroniana'' (Iredale, 1929) ** ''Xenophora peroniana kondoi'' Ponder 1983 * '' Xenophora senegalensis'' Fischer, 1873 * '' Xenophora sinensis'' Qi & Li, 1986 * '' Xenophora solarioides'' ( Reeve, 1845) * '' Xenophora tenuis'' Fulton, 1938 ;Species brought into synonymy: * Subgenus ''Xenophora'' (''Stellaria'') Möller, 1832: synonym of '' Stellaria'' Möller, 1832 * ''Xenophora (Stellaria) testigera'' (Bronn, 1831): synonym of '' Stellaria testigera'' (Bronn, 1831) * ''Xenophora australis'' Souverbie & Montrouzier, 1870: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) solarioides'' (Reeve, 1845) * ''Xenophora calculifera'' (Reeve, 1843): synonym of ''

Stellaria chinensis ''Stellaria chinensis'' is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Xenophoridae, the carrier shells. Description Similarly to other species within the family of the Carrier Shells, the beautiful sea snail collects ...

'' (Philippi, 1841) * ''Xenophora caperata'' sensu Petit de la Saussaye, 1857: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) senegalensis'' Fischer, 1873 * ''Xenophora caribaea'' Petit de la Saussaye, 1857 - Caribbean carriersnail: synonym of '' Onustus caribaeus'' (Petit de la Saussaye, 1857) * ''Xenophora cavelieri'' Rochebrune, 1883: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) senegalensis'' Fischer, 1873 * ''Xenophora digitata'' Martens, 1878: synonym of ''Stellaria testigera digitata'' Martens, 1878 * ''Xenophora gigantea'' (Schepman, 1909): synonym of '' Stellaria gigantea'' (Schepman, 1909) * ''Xenophora helvacea'' Philippi, 1851: synonym of '' Onustus indicus'' (Gmelin, 1791) * ''Xenophora indica'' (Gmelin, 1791): synonym of '' Onustus indicus'' (Gmelin, 1791) * ''Xenophora japonica'' Kuroda & Habe, 1971: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) japonica'' Kuroda & Habe, 1971 * ''Xenophora konoi'' Habe, 1953: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) mekranensis konoi'' Habe, 1953 * ''Xenophora laevigata'' Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora'' (Born, 1780) * ''Xenophora lamberti'' Souverbie, 1871: synonym of '' Stellaria lamberti'' (Souverbie, 1871) * ''Xenophora longleyi'' Bartsch, 1931 - shingled carriersnail: synonym of '' Onustus longleyi'' Bartsch, 1931 * ''Xenophora meandrina'' Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora'' (Born, 1780) * ''Xenophora mediterranea'' Tiberi, 1863: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) crispa'' (König, 1825) * ''Xenophora neozelanica'' Suter, 1908: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) neozelanica neozelanica'' Suter, 1908 * ''Xenophora regularis'' Habe & Okutani, 1983 : synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) granulosa'' Ponder, 1983 * ''Xenophora tenuis'' Hirase, 1934: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) tenuis'' Fulton, 1983 * ''Xenophora torrida'' Kuroda & Ito, 1961 : synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) cerea'' (Reeve, 1845) * ''Xenophora tricostata'' Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora'' (Born, 1780) * ''Xenophora tulearensis'' Stewart & Kosuge, 1993: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) corrugata'' (Reeve, 1842) * ''Xenophora vulcanica'' Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora'' (Born, 1780) * ''Xenophora wagneri'' Philippi, 1855: synonym of '' Onustus indicus'' (Gmelin, 1791)

Extinct species

Extinct species within this genus include: Paleobiology Database
* †''Xenophora carditigera'' Nielsen and DeVries 2002 * †''Xenophora cummulans'' Brongniart 1823 * †''Xenophora delecta'' Guppy 1876 * †''Xenophora deshayesi ''Michelotti 1847 * †''Xenophora eocenica'' Abbass 1967 * †''Xenophora floridana'' Mansfield 1930 * †''Xenophora infundibulum'' (Brocchi, 1814) * †''Xenophora palaeoafra'' Gliozzi and Malatesta 1983 * †''Xenophora paulinae'' Nielsen and DeVries 2002 * †''Xenophora rugata'' Abbass 1967 * †''Xenophora tatei'' Harris 1897 * †''Xenophora terpstrai'' Dey 1961 * †''Xenophora textilina'' Dall 1892

Fossil record

Fossils of ''Xenophora'' are found in marine strata from the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

to Quaternary (age range: from 89.3 to 0.012 million years ago.). Fossils are known all over the world. G. Manganelli, V. Spadini, S. Cianfanell
The xenophorid gastropods of the Mediterranean Pliocene: the record of the Siena Basin

References

Ponder W.F. (1983). ''A revision of the Recent Xenophoridae of the World and of the Australian Fossil Species (Mollusca : Gastropoda)''. Memoir 17. The Australian Museum Sydney, Australia
* Kreipl K. & Alf A. (1999). ''Recent Xenophoridae''. Conchbooks, Hackenheim > Germany. 148pp. {{taxonbar, from=Q3176940 Xenophoridae Extant Coniacian first appearances