The Melongenidae, the
crown conchs and their relatives, 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 large to very large
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 ...
s in the superfamily
Buccinoidea.
[MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Melongenidae Gill, 1871 (1854). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=160182 on 2021-02-27]
Taxonomy
For a while prior to 2004, the genera ''
Busycon
''Busycon'' is a genus of very large edible sea snails in the subfamily Busyconinae. These snails are commonly known in the United States as ''whelks'' or ''Busycon whelks''. Less commonly they are loosely, and somewhat misleadingly, called "con ...
'' and ''
Busycotypus
''Busycotypus'' is a genus of very large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Busycotypinae .
In the United States, these are commonly known as whelks.Bouchet, P. (2015). Busycotypus Wenz, 1943. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Acc ...
'' were placed in the Melongenidae.
Then, in 2004, based on their
digestive system
The human digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract plus the accessory organs of digestion (the tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder). Digestion involves the breakdown of food into smaller and smaller compone ...
s and on
cladistic analysis by Kosyan & Kantor (2004),
[Kosyan A. R. & Kantor Yu. I. (2004). "Morphology, taxonomic status and relationships of Melongenidae (Gastropoda: Neogastropoda)". ''Ruthenica'' 14(1): 9-36]
abstract and preview
/ref> these two genera were moved to the family Busyconidae
The Busyconidae are taxonomic family of large sea snails, often known as whelks. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Busyconidae Wade, 1917 (1867). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia. ...
within the superfamily Buccinoidea.
According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005), the Melongenidae consists of two subfamilies:
* Subfamily Melongeninae Gill, 1871 (1854) - synonyms: Cassidulidae Gray, 1854 (inv.); Galeodidae Thiele, 1925 (inv.); Volemidae Winckworth, 1945; Heligmotomidae Adegoke, 1977
* Subfamily Echinofulgurinae Petuch, 1994
Genera
Genera in the family Melongenidae include:Saginafusus
''Saginafusus'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks 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 p ...
'' Wenz, 1943
* † '' Sycostoma'' Cox, 1931
* ''Taphon
200px, ''taphon''
The taphon ( th, ตะโพน, ) is a traditional drum of Thailand. It is barrel-shaped with two heads, and is played by the hands and fingers of both hands, much like the more popular congas.
Originally called the Sa Pho ...
'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853
* '' Volegalea'' Iredale, 1938
* '' Volema'' Röding, 1798
; Genera brought into synonymy:
* ''Cassidulus'' Gray, 1854: synonym of ''Pugilina'' Schumacher, 1817
* ''Galeodes'' Röding, 1798 : synonym of ''Melongena'' Schumacher, 1817
* ''Semifusus'' Agassiz, 1846 synonym of ''Hemifusus'' Swainson, 1840
* ''Thalessa'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853: synonym of ''Volema'' Röding, 1798
References
{{Melongenidae-stub