Coralliophilinae is a taxonomic group, a subfamily of about 200–250 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 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 ...

snails or coral shells. This is a subfamily within the very large 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 rock snails. With about 1,600 living species, the Muricidae represent almost 10% of the Neoga ...

, 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 s ...

, this group is considered to be a subfamily, the Coralliophilinae, of the family

.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, 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

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 Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

, from the Florida Keys to Brazil, the Indo-Pacific 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 anthozoans 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

anemone ''Anemone'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Plants of the genus are commonly called windflowers. They are native to the temperate and subtropical regions of all continents except Australia, New Zealand an ...

s 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 fan 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 ...

Genera

Genera within the subfamily Coralliophilinae include: * '' Babelomurex'' Coen, 1922 * ''

Coralliophila ''Coralliophila'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Coralliophilinae Coralliophilinae is a taxonomic group, a subfamily of about 200–250 sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks commonly known as the coral ...

'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * '' Emozamia'' Iredale, 1929 *'' Hirtomurex'' Coen, 1922 * '' Latiaxis'' Swainson, 1840 * '' Leptoconchus'' Rüppell, 1834 * '' Liniaxis'' Laseron, 1955 * '' Magilus'' 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 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