''Cymatium'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of small to large predatory

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 ...

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 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 ...

Cymatiidae Cymatiidae is a family of large sea snails in the superfamily Tonnoidea and the order Littorinimorpha. Members of this family are predators. Genera The family Cymatiidae contains the following genera: * '' Argobuccinum'' Herrmannsen, 1846 * ' ...

. This genus has numerous species, perhaps as many as 100, some of which have a worldwide distribution. The genus has been divided into at least 10 subgenera. Some authors have elevated those subgenera, giving them the full status of genera, but this is by no means universally accepted.

Fossil records

This genus is known in the fossil records from the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

to the Quaternary (age range: from 55.8 to 0.012 million years ago). Fossilworks
/ref>

Description

These sea snails have separate sexes. They lay egg capsules. After hatching, the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

e have a

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a cr ...

ic stage that can (in some species) last several months; this is what enables the very widespread distribution seen in certain species, as the planktonic larvae can be carried great distances before settling to the sea floor.

Subgenera

There are at least 10 subgenera within the genus ''Cymatium'

These are elevated by some authors to the level of genera. * ''Cymatium'' Peter Friedrich Röding, Röding, 1798, type species: ''

Cymatium femorale ''Cymatium femorale'' is a species of predatory sea snail in the family Cymatiidae. Description The maximum recorded shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of ...

'' * '' Monoplex'' G. Perry, 1811, type species: ''

Cymatium parthenopeum ''Monoplex parthenopeus'', common name the giant triton or giant hairy triton, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae. It preys on other molluscs. Fossil records This species have been recorded as fos ...

'' * ''

Gelagna ''Gelagna'' is a genus of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cymatiidae. Species Species within the genus ''Gelagna'' include: * '' Gelagna pallida'' (Parth, 1996) * '' Gelagna succincta'' (Linnaeus Carl Linn ...

'' Schaufuss, 1869, type species: ''

Cymatium succinctum ''Gelagna succincta'', common name the lesser girdled triton, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae. Distribution This species is distributed in the Indian Ocean (Tanzania, Madagascar), in th ...

'' * ''

Ranularia ''Ranularia'' is a genus of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cymatiidae. Species Species within the genus ''Ranularia'' include: * '' Ranularia andamanensis'' (Beu, 1987) * '' Ranularia arthuri'' (Beu, 1987) * '' ...

'' Schumacher, 1817, type species: ''

Cymatium gutturnium Cymatium, the uppermost molding at the top of the cornice in the classical order, is made of the s-shaped cyma molding (either ''cyma recta'' or ''cyma reversa''), combining a concave cavetto with a convex ovolo. It is characteristic of Ionic colu ...

'' * ''

Gutturnium ''Gutturnium'' is a genus of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cymatiidae. Species The only species within the genus ''Gutturnium'' is: * '' Gutturnium muricinum'' (Röding, 1798) ;Species brought into synonymy: * ...

'' Mørch, 1852, type species: ''

Cymatium muricinum ''Gutturnium muricinum'', common name the knobbly triton, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae. Description The maximum recorded shell length is 75 mm.Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island ...

'' * ''

Reticutriton ''Reticutriton'' is a genus of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cymatiidae. Species The genus ''Reticutriton'' contains the following species: * † ''Reticutriton carlottae'' (Ferreira & da Cunha, 1957) * † '' ...

'' Habe and Kosuge, 1966, type species: ''

Cymatium pfeifferianum ''Reticutriton pfeifferianus'' is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Cymatiidae. Description The maximum recorded shell length is 46 mm.Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropo ...

'' * ''

Linatella Linatella is a genus of sea snails known as predatory whelks, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cymatiidae. Species The only species within the genus ''Linatella'' is: * ''Linatella caudata'' (Gmelin, 1791) ;Species brought into synonym ...

'' Gray, 1868, type species: '' Cymatium cutaceum'' * ''

Lotoria ''Lotoria'' is a genus of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cymatiidae. Species Species within the genus ''Lotoria'' include: * '' Lotoria armata'' (G.B. Sowerby III, 1897) * '' Lotoria grandimaculata'' (Reeve, 1844 ...

'' Emerson and Old, 1963, type species: ''

Cymatium perryi ''Lotoria triangularis'' is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae.MolluscaBase eds. (2023). MolluscaBase. Lotoria triangularis (Perry, 1811). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at ...

'' * ''

Septa The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates transit bus, bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people ...

'' Perry, 1810, type species: ''

Septa rubecula ''Septa rubecula'', common name : the ruby triton or the red redbreast triton, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae. Subspecies * ''Septa rubecula rebeculum'' * ''Septa rubecula occidental ...

'': considered as a genus in WoRMS * ''

Turritriton Turritriton is a genus of medium-sized sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod molluscs in the family (biology), family Cymatiidae. This is often still regarded merely as a subgenus of the genus ''Cymatium (gastropod), Cymatium''. Descript ...

Dall Dall may refer to: People * Anders Bendssøn Dall (died 1607), Danish Lutheran bishop * Bobby Dall (born 1963), American musician * Caroline Healey Dall (1822–1912), American feminist writer *Clarrie Dall (1887–1953), Australian footballer * C ...

, 1904, type species: '' Cymatium gibbosum''

Species

According to the

World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific speciali ...

(WoRMS) the following species with accepted names are included within the genus ''Cymatium'': * ''

'' (

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, t ...

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'', the starting point of modern zoological ...

) * '' Cymatium raderi'' D’Attilio & Myers, 1984 * ''

Cymatium ranzanii ''Cymatium ranzanii'' is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae Cymatiidae is a family of large sea snails in the superfamily Tonnoidea and the order Littorinimorpha. Members of this family are ...

'' (Bianconi, 1850) * '' Cymatium tigrinum'' (Broderip, 1833)

Gallery

File:Cymatium lotorium 2010 G1-RZ.jpg, Two views of a

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

of '' Cymatium lotorium'' File: Ranellidae - Cymatium affine.JPG, Fossil shell of ''Cymatium affine'' from Pliocene of Italy File:Cymatium doderleini 01.JPG, Fossil shell of ''Cymatium doderleini'' from Pliocene of Italy

Species brought into synonymy

* ''Cymatium aegrotum'' (Reeve, 1844): synonym of '' Ranularia gallinago'' (Reeve, 1844) * ''Cymatium aquatile'' (Reeve, 1844) : synonym of '' Monoplex aquatilis'' (Reeve, 1844) * ''Cymatium cingulatum'' (Lamarck, 1822): synonym of ''

Linatella caudata ''Linatella caudata'', common name : the Girdled triton or Poulsen's Triton, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae. Distribution This species is very widespread (but uncommon). It is present in ...

'' (Gmelin, 1791) * ''Cymatium clandestinum'' (Lamarck, 1816): synonym of ''

Gelagna succincta ''Gelagna succincta'', common name the lesser girdled triton, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae. Distribution This species is distributed in the Indian Ocean (Tanzania, Madagascar), in the ...

'' (

, 1771) * ''Cymatium closeli'' Beu, 1987: synonym of '' Septa closeli'' (Beu, 1987) * ''Cymatium comptum'' (A. Adams, 1855) : synonym of '' Monoplex comptus'' (A. Adams, 1855) * ''Cymatium corrugatum'' (Lamarck, 1816);: synonym of '' Monoplex corrugatus'' (Lamarck, 1816) * ''Cymatium cutaceum'' (Lamarck, 1816): synonym of ''

'' (Gmelin, 1791) * ''Cymatium cynocephalum'' (

Lamarck Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, chevalier de Lamarck (1 August 1744 – 18 December 1829), often known simply as Lamarck (; ), was a French naturalist, biologist, academic, and soldier. He was an early proponent of the idea that biolog ...

, 1816) : synonym of '' Ranularia cynocephala'' (Lamarck, 1816) * ''Cymatium doliarium'' Lamarck: synonym of '' Cabestana dolaria'' (Linnaeus, 1767) * ''Cymatium durbanensis'' (E.A. Smith, 1899): synonym of '' Monoplex durbanensis'' (E.A. Smith, 1899) * ''Cymatium exaratum'' (Reeve, 1844): synonym of ''

Monoplex exaratus ''Monoplex exaratus'' is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae Cymatiidae is a family of large sea snails in the superfamily Tonnoidea and the order Littorinimorpha. Members of this family ...

'' (Reeve, 1844) * ''Cymatium exaratum durbanense'' (E. A. Smith, 1899): synonym of ''Cymatium exaratum'' (Reeve, 1844) accepted as ''

'' (Reeve, 1844) * ''Cymatium exile'': synonym of '' Ranularia exilis'' (Reeve, 1844) * ''Cymatium gallinago'' (Reeve, 1844): synonym of '' Ranularia gallinago'' (Reeve, 1844) * ''Cymatium gemmatum'' Reeve: synonym of ''

Monoplex gemmatus ''Monoplex gemmatus'', common name : jeweled triton or beaded triton, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae Cymatiidae is a family of large sea snails in the superfamily Tonnoidea and ...

'' (Reeve, 1844) * ''Cymatium gibbosum'' (Broderip, 1833): synonym of '' Turritriton gibbosus'' (Broderip, 1833) * ''Cymatium grandimaculatum'' (Reeve, 1844): synonym of ''

Lotoria grandimaculata ''Lotoria grandimaculata'', common name : the large spotted triton, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae. Description The shell size varies between 50 mm and 132 mm Distribution ...

'' (Reeve, 1844) * ''Cymatium hepaticum'' (Röding, 1798): synonym of '' Septa hepatica'' (Röding, 1798) * ''Cymatium kleinei'' (Sowerby III, 1889): synonym of ''

Monoplex klenei ''Monoplex klenei'' is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae Cymatiidae is a family of large sea snails in the superfamily Tonnoidea and the order Littorinimorpha. Members of this family ar ...

'' (G.B. Sowerby III, 1889) * ''Cymatium kobelti'': synonym of '' Turritriton kobelti'' (Maltzan, 1884) * ''Cymatium krebsii'' ( Mörch, 1877) : synonym of '' Monoplex krebsii'' (Mörch, 1877) * ''Cymatium labiosum'' (W. Wood, 1828) : synonym of ''

Turritriton labiosus ''Turritriton labiosus'', also known as ''Cymatium labiosum'',"''Cym ...

'' (Wood, 1828) * ''Cymatium lotorium'' (

, 1758): synonym of ''

Lotoria lotoria ''Lotoria lotoria'', common name the black-spotted snail or washing bath triton, is a species of predatory sea snail, a tropical marine gastropod mollusc in the family Cymatiidae. This species was previously known as ''Cymatium lotorium''. Fos ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Cymatium marerubrum'': synonym of ''

Septa marerubrum ''Septa marerubrum'' is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae. Description The shell size varies between 30 mm, and 50 mm Distribution This species is found in the Red Sea and in th ...

'' (Garcia-Talavera, 1985) * ''Cymatium martinianum'' (

d'Orbigny Alcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny (6 September 1802 – 30 June 1857) was a French naturalist who made major contributions in many areas, including zoology (including malacology), palaeontology, geology, archaeology and anthropol ...

, 1847) : synonym of '' Monoplex martinianus'' (d'Orbigny, 1847) * ''Cymatium moniliferum'' (Adams & Reeve, 1850): synonym of '' Ranularia monilifera'' (A. Adams & Reeve, 1850) * ''Cymatium moritinctum'' (Reeve, 1844): synonym of '' Ranularia cynocephala'' (Lamarck, 1816) *'' Cymatium mundum'' (Gould, 1849): synonym of '' Monoplex mundus'' (Gould, 1849) * ''Cymatium muricinum'' ( Peter Friedrich Röding, Röding, 1798) : synonym of '' Gutturnium muricinum'' (Röding, 1798) * ''Cymatium nicobaricum'' ( Peter Friedrich Röding, Röding, 1798) : synonym of ''

Monoplex nicobaricus ''Monoplex nicobaricus'', known as the Nicobar hairy triton or goldmouth triton, is a species of medium-sized predatory sea snail, a tropical marine gastropod mollusc in the family Cymatiidae. Distribution This species of marine snail has a wi ...

'' (Röding, 1798) * ''Cymatium occidentale'' (Mörch, 1877) is a synonym of ''

Septa occidentalis ''Septa occidentalis'' is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae. Distribution Description The maximum recorded shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thi ...

'' (Mörch, 1877) * ''Cymatium olearium'' Linnaeus: synonym of ''

Ranella olearium ''Ranella olearium'', common name the wandering triton or the little frog triton or olive trumpet, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Ranellidae, the tritons.Gofas, S. (2010). Ranella olearium (Linnaeus, ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Cymatium'' (''Septa'') ''parthenopeum'' (von Salis, 1793) : synonym of''

Monoplex parthenopeus ''Monoplex parthenopeus'', common name the giant triton or giant hairy triton, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae. It preys on other molluscs. Fossil records This species have been recorded as fo ...

'' (Salis Marschlins, 1793) * ''Cymatium (Monoplex) parthenopeum'' (Salis, 1793): synonym of''

'' (Salis Marschlins, 1793) * ''Cymatium penniketi'' Beu, 1998: synonym of '' Monoplex penniketi'' (Beu, 1998) * ''Cymatium pharcidum'' (Dall, 1889): synonym of '' Turritriton tenuiliratus'' (Lischke, 1873) * ''Cymatium pfeifferianum'' (Reeve, 1844): synonym of ''

Reticutriton pfeifferianus ''Reticutriton pfeifferianus'' is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Cymatiidae. Description The maximum recorded shell length is 46 mm.Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropo ...

'' (Reeve, 1844) * ''Cymatium pileare'' (Linnaeus, 1758): synonym of '' Monoplex pilearis'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Cymatium pyrum'' (Linnaeus, 1758): synonym of ''

Ranularia pyrum ''Ranularia pyrum'', common name: the pear triton, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae. Description The shell size varies between 50 mm and 130 mm Distribution This species occ ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Cymatium rubeculum'' (Linnaeus, 1758): synonym of ''

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Cymatium sarcostomum'' (Reeve, 1844): synonym of '' Ranularia sarcostoma'' (Reeve, 1844) * ''Cymatium'' (''Ranularia'') ''sinense'' (Reeve, 1844): synonym of '' Ranularia sinensis'' (Reeve, 1844) * ''Cymatium'' (''Linatella'') ''succinctum'' (Linnaeus, 1771): synonym of '' Linatella succincta'' (Linnaeus, 1771) * ''Cymatium testudinarium'' (A. Adams & Reeve, 1850): synonym of '' Ranularia testudinaria'' (A. Adams & Reeve, 1850) * ''Cymatium tranquebaricum'' (Lamarck, 1816): synonym of '' Monoplex tranquebaricus'' (Lamarck, 1816) * ''Cymatium trigonum'' (Gmelin, 1791): synonym of '' Monoplex trigonus'' (Gmelin, 1791) * ''Cymatium trilineatum'': synonym of '' Ranularia trilineata'' (Reeve, 1844) * ''Cymatium vespaceum'' Lamarck, 1822: synonym of '' Monoplex vespaceus'' (Lamarck, 1822) ''Cymatium'' species found in the Western Atlantic includ

* ''Cymatium rehderi'' A. H. Verrill, 1950 : synonym of '' Ranularia rehderi'' (A.H. Verrill, 1950) Other species include: * '' Cymatium tabulatus'' aka '' Turritriton tabulatus exaratus'' (Reeve, 1844) * ''Cymatium parkinsonianum'' (Perry, 1811): synonym of '' Austrotriton parkinsonius'' Perry, 1811 * ''Cymatium pileare'' (

, 1758): synonym of '' Cymatium (Septa) pileare'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Cymatium perryi'' Emerson, W.K. & W.E. Jr. Old, 1963: synonym of ''

Lotoria perryi ''Lotoria perryi'' is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae. Description Distribution This species of marine snail lives in the Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic r ...

'' (Emerson & Old, 1963)

References

* Info about subgenera and illustrations of type species for the subgenera and other species in the subgenera a

* Malacolog info at

{{Taxonbar, from=Q150233 Cymatiidae Extant Eocene first appearances Gastropod genera