''Volutidae'',

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

volutes, are 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. ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 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 ...

s that range in size from 9 mm to over 500 mm. They are

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. Most of the species have no operculum.

Distribution

This family of sea snails are found mainly in

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

seas, though some species also inhabit the waters of the

polar circle A polar circle is a geographic term for a conditional circular line (arc) referring either to the Arctic Circle or the Antarctic Circle. These are two of the keynote circles of latitude (parallels). On Earth, the Arctic Circle is currently ...

Shell description

The shell of species such as ''

Melo amphora ''Melo amphora'', common name the Diadem volute, is a very large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Volutidae, the volutes. Etymology The specific name ''amphora'' is the Latin word for vase, derived from the Greek ' (αμφ ...

'' can grow as large as 50 cm (19.7 inches) in length.Poutiers, J. M. (1998). Gastropods in: FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes: The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific Volume 1. Seaweeds, corals, bivalves and gastropods. Rome, FAO, 1998. page 597. Volutes are distinguished by their distinctively marked spiral shells (to which the family name refers, ''voluta'' meaning "scroll" in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

). The shells have an elongated aperture in their first whorl and an inner lip characterised by a number of deep plaits. The elaborate decorations of the shells has made them a popular collectors' item, with the imperial volute ('' Voluta imperialis'') of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

being particularly prized.

Taxonomy

Subfamilies and tribes

According to Bail & Poppe (2001)Bail, P. & Poppe, G. T. (2001). '' A taxonomic introduction to the recent Volutidae''. In: Poppe, G. T. & Groh, K.: ''A Conchological Iconography''. 30 pp., 5 plts. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, . Volutidae can be subdivided into the following Subfamilies and tribes: *

Amoriinae ''Volutidae'', common name volutes, are a taxonomic family of predatory sea snails that range in size from 9 mm to over 500 mm. They are marine gastropod mollusks. Most of the species have no operculum. Distribution This family of sea snails a ...

Gray, 1857 **Tribe Meloini

Pilsbry Henry Augustus Pilsbry (7 December 1862 – 26 October 1957) was an American biologist, malacologist and carcinologist, among other areas of study. He was a dominant presence in many fields of invertebrate taxonomy for the better part of a centu ...

& Olsson, 1954 **Tribe Amoriini Gray, 1857 * Athletinae

& Olsson, 1954 * Calliotectinae

& Olsson, 1954 *

Cymbiinae ''Volutidae'', common name volutes, are a taxonomic family of predatory sea snails that range in size from 9 mm to over 500 mm. They are marine gastropod mollusks. Most of the species have no operculum. Distribution This family of sea snails a ...

H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 **Tribe Adelomelonini

& Olsson, 1954 **Tribe Alcithoini

& Olsson, 1954 **Tribe Cymbiini H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 **Tribe Livoniini Bail & Poppe, 2001 **Tribe Odontocymbiolini Clench & Turner, 1964 **Tribe Zidonini H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 *

Fulgorariinae The subfamily Fulgorariinae contains sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Volutidae.MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Fulgorariinae Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.ma ...

& Olsson, 1954 * Plicolivinae Bpichet, 1990 * Scaphellinae Gray, 1857 *

Volutinae ''Volutidae'', common name volutes, are a taxonomic family of predatory sea snails that range in size from 9 mm to over 500 mm. They are marine gastropod mollusks. Most of the species have no operculum. Distribution This family of sea snails a ...

**Tribe Lyriini

& Olsson, 1954 **Tribe Volutini

Rafinesque Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...

, 1815

Genera

Genera within the Volutidae include: * ''

Adelomelon ''Adelomelon'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Volutidae. Description The medium-sized to large shell is smooth or knobbed. The protoconch is small and smooth with or without a calcarella. Species Species wit ...

'' Dall, 1906 * ''

Alcithoe ''Alcithoe'' is a genus of large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Volutidae, the volutes.Marshall, B. & Bail, P. (2015). "''Alcithoe'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853". In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of M ...

'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * '' Amoria'' Gray, 1855Bail, P., Limpus, A. & Poppe, G. T. (2001): ''The Genus'' Amoria. In: Poppe, G. T. & Groh, K.: ''A Conchological Iconography''. 50 pp., 93 plts. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, . * ''

Ampulla An ampulla (; ) was, in Ancient Rome, a small round vessel, usually made of glass and with two handles, used for sacred purposes. The word is used of these in archaeology, and of later flasks, often handle-less and much flatter, for holy water or ...

'' Röding, 1798 * '' Arctomelon'' Dall, 1915 * ''

Athleta ''Athleta'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Volutidae. Species Species within the genus ''Athleta'' include: * '' Athleta abyssicola'' (Adams & Reeve, 1848) * † ''Athleta affinis'' (Brocchi, 1814) * '' A ...

'' Conrad, 1853 * '' Callipara'' Gray, 1847 * '' Calliotectum'' Dall, 1890 * ''

Cymbiola ''Cymbiola'' is a genus of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Volutidae, the volutes.Bail, P. (2010). Cymbiola Swainson, 1831. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. A ...

'' Swainson, 1831 * '' Cymbiolacca'' * '' Cymbium'' Röding, 1798 **'' Cymbium cymbium'' **''

Cymbium glans ''Cymbium glans'', commonly known as the elephant's snout volute, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family (biology), family Volutidae, the volutes. Description Distribution References

Volutidae Gastropo ...

'' **'' Cymbium marmoratum'' **'' Cymbium olla'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the sta ...

) **'' Cymbium pepo'' * '' Enaeta'' H. Adams and A. Adams, 1853 * '' Ericusa'' H. Adams and A. Adams, 1858 * '' Festilyria'' Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954 * '' Fulgoraria'' Schumacher, 1817Bail, P., Chino, M. & Terryn, Y. (2010). ''The Family Volutidae. The endemic Far East Asian subfamily Fulgorariinae Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954. A revision of the recent species''. In: Poppe, G. T. & Groh, K.: ''A Conchological Iconography''. 74 pp., 64 plts. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, . * '' Fusivoluta'' E. von Martens, 1902 * ''

Harpovoluta ''Harpovoluta'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Cymbiinae of the family Volutidae. Species Species within the genus ''Harpovoluta'' include: * ''Harpovoluta charcoti ''Harpovoluta charcoti'' is a specie ...

'' Thiele, 1912 * '' Harpulina'' Dall, 1906 * ''

Iredalina The golden volute, ''Iredalina mirabilis'', is a species of rare, large, deepwater sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Volutidae, the volutes. This is the only species in the genus; in other words, ''Iredalina'' is a monotypic ge ...

Finlay Finlay is a masculine given name, and also a surname. The given name is represented in Scottish Gaelic as Fionnlagh. Given name Finlay *Finlay Mickel, Scottish skier *Finlay Currie (1878–1968), Scottish actor *Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby play ...

, 1926 * '' Leptoscapha'' Fischer, 1883 * ''

Livonia Livonia ( liv, Līvõmō, et, Liivimaa, fi, Liivinmaa, German and Scandinavian languages: ', archaic German: ''Liefland'', nl, Lijfland, Latvian and lt, Livonija, pl, Inflanty, archaic English: ''Livland'', ''Liwlandia''; russian: Ли ...

'' Gray, 1855 * '' Lyria'' Gray, 1847 * † '' Mauira'' Marwick, 1943 * † '' Mauithoe'' Finlay, 1930 * '' Melo'' Broderip in Sowerby I, 1826 * † '' Metamelon'' Marwick, 1926 * '' Minicymbiola'' Klappenbach, 1979 * '' Miomelon'' Dall, 1907 * † '' Mitreola'' Swainson, 1833 * ''

Nannamoria ''Nannamoria'' is a small taxonomic genus of small-sized sea snails, predatory marine (ocean), marine gastropod molluscs in the subfamily Amoriinae of the family Volutidae, the volutes. Distribution ''Nannamoria'' volutes are endemism, endemic t ...

'' Iredale, 1929 * '' Nanomelon'' Leal & Bouchet, 1989 * '' Neptuneopsis'' Sowerby III, 1898 * '' Notopeplum'' Finlay, 1927 * '' Notavoluta'' Cotton, 1946 * ''

Odontocymbiola ''Odontocymbiola'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Cymbiinae of the family Volutidae. Description The radula contain fang-like cusps. Species Species within the genus ''Odontocymbiola'' include: * '' Odont ...

'' Clench & Turner, 1964 * † '' Pachymelon'' Marwick, 1926 * '' Paramoria'' McMichael, 1960 * '' Plicoliva'' Petuch, 1979 * ''

Provocator ''Provocator'' is a shoot 'em up video game developed for the Acorn Archimedes Acorn Archimedes is a family of personal computers designed by Acorn Computers of Cambridge, England. The systems are based on Acorn's own ARM architecture pro ...

'' Watson, 1882 * '' Scaphella'' Swainson, 1832 * '' Spinomelon'' Marwick, 1926 * '' Tenebrincola'' Harasewych & Kantor, 1991 * '' Teramachia'' * '' Tractolira'' Dall, 1890 * ''

Voluta ''Voluta'' is a genus of medium to large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Volutidae, the volutes.Bail, P. (2010). Voluta Linnaeus, 1758. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed ...

* '' Volutifusus'' Conrad, 1863 * '' Volutoconus'' Crosse, 1871 * '' Waihaoia'' Marwick, 1926 * '' Zygomelon'' Harasewych & Marshall, 1995 * ''

Zidona ''Zidona'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Volutidae. Species Species within the genus ''Zidona'' include: * ''Zidona dufresnei ''Zidona dufresnei'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in t ...

'' H. Adams and A. Adams, 1853

References

ITIS
* "Volute." ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2006. * Powell A W B, ''New Zealand Mollusca'', William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 * Merle & Pacaud & Marivaux, 2014 Merle & Pacaud & Marivaux, Volutidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of the Lakhra Formation (Earliest Eocene, Sindh, Pakistan): systematics, biostratigraphy and paleobiogeography; Zootaxa, 3826 (1) : 101-138, fig. 1-12. , 2014

External links

Biodiversity Library: Maxwell Smith, ''A review of the Volutidae'', Beal-Maltbie Shell Museum, Florida, 1942

Miocene Gastropods and Biostratigraphy of the Kern River Area, California; United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 642
Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque Gastropod families Volutoidea {{Commons category, Volutidae