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 con ...

volutes, are a

taxonomic 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme of classes (a taxonomy) and the allocation ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

predatory Predation is a biological interaction in which 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 ...

sea snail Sea snails are slow-moving marine (ocean), marine gastropod Mollusca, molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the Taxonomic classification, taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguishe ...

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

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

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, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

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 currentl ...

Description

The large head has the eyes sessile on the sides below the base of the tentacles. The tentacles are far apart, united by a broad veil over the head. The mantle is sometimes greatly developed, covering the sides of the shell. The siphon is recurved, short, with auricles on each side of the base. The foot is very large, partly hiding the shell. There is no operculum.Adams, H. & Adams, A. (1853-1858). The genera of Recent Mollusca; arranged according to their organization. London, van Voorst. Vol. 1: xl + 484 pp.; vol. 2: 661 pp.; vol. 3: 138 pls
/ref> The shell shows distinct plaits on the

columella Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (, Arabic: ) was a prominent Roman writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. His in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture and ancient Roman cuisin ...

. The

apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics) A-Bomb Abomination Absorbing Man Abraxas Abyss Abyss is the name of two characters appearing in Ameri ...

of the

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

is mamillated. The shells have an elongated

aperture In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...

in their first

whorl 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). In nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral diagra ...

and an inner

lip The lips are a horizontal pair of soft appendages attached to the jaws and are the most visible part of the mouth of many animals, including humans. Mammal lips are soft, movable and serve to facilitate the ingestion of food (e.g. sucklin ...

characterised by a number of deep plaits. The family of Volutidae comprises a suite of large shells remarkable for their great beauty and elegance of form. The shell of species such as ''

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

'' 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 languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

). The elaborate decorations of the shells has made them a popular collectors' item, with the imperial volute ('' Voluta imperialis'') of the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

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 Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of predatory sea snails that range in size from 9 mm to over 500 mm. They are marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks. Most of the species h ...

Gray, 1857 **Tribe Amoriini 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 cent ...

& Olsson, 1954 **Tribe

Notovolutini ''Notovolutini'' is a tribe of sea snails, a marine gastropod mollusks in the family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other ...

Bail & Poppe, 2001 * Athletinae

& Olsson, 1954 * Calliotectinae

& Olsson, 1954 *

Cymbiinae Volutidae, common name volutes, are a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of predatory sea snails that range in size from 9 mm to over 500 mm. They are marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks. Most of the species h ...

H. Adams &

A. Adams Arthur Adams (1820 in Gosport, Hampshire – 1878) was an England, English physician and natural history, naturalist. Adams was assistant surgeon Royal Navy on board HMS Samarang (1822), HMS ''Samarang'' during the survey of the islands of ...

, 1853 **Tribe Adelomelonini

& Olsson, 1954 **Tribe Alcithoini

& Olsson, 1954 **Tribe Cymbiini H. Adams &

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

, 1853 *

Fulgorariinae The subfamily Fulgorariinae contains sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Volutidae.MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Fulgorariinae Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954. Accessed through: World Register of ...

& Olsson, 1954 * Plicolivinae Bouchet, 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 s ...

Rafinesque, 1815 **Tribe Lyriini

& Olsson, 1954 **Tribe Volutini

Rafinesque Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; 22 October 178318 September 1840) was a French early 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, ult ...

, 1815

Genera

Genera within the Volutidae include: * '' Adelomelon'' Dall, 1906 * ''

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

'' H. 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 (; : ampullae) 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 ho ...

'' Röding, 1798 * '' Arctomelon'' Dall, 1915 * '' Athleta'' Conrad, 1853 * ''

Callipara ''Callipara'' is a genus of sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Volutidae. Species The following species are recognised in the genus ''Callipara'': * ''Callipara africana'' (Reeve, 1856) * ''Call ...

'' Gray, 1847 * '' Calliotectum'' Dall, 1890 * '' Capensisvoluta'' S. G. Veldsman & J. H. Veldsman, 2022 * '' Cymbiola'' Swainson, 1831 * '' Cymbiolacca'' * '' Cymbium'' Röding, 1798 **'' Cymbium cymbium'' **'' Cymbium glans'' **'' Cymbium marmoratum'' **'' Cymbium olla'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

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 zoologic ...

) **'' Cymbium pepo'' * '' Enaeta'' H. Adams and

, 1853 * '' Ericusa'' H. Adams and

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

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 Calder, Scottish rugby player * Finlay Christie (comedian), British comedian * Finlay Christie, Scottis ...

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

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

'' 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'' Iredale, 1929 * '' Nanomelon'' Leal & Bouchet, 1989 * '' Neptuneopsis'' Sowerby III, 1898 * ''

Notopeplum ''Notopeplum'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Volutidae 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 ...

'' Finlay, 1927 * '' Notovoluta'' Cotton, 1946 * '' Odontocymbiola'' Clench & Turner, 1964 * '' Pachycymbiola'' Ihering, 1907 * † '' Pachymelon'' Marwick, 1926 * '' Paramoria'' McMichael, 1960 * '' Plicoliva'' Petuch, 1979 * '' Provocator'' Watson, 1882 * ''

Scaphella ''Scaphella'' is a genus of large sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the family Volutidae, the volutes. Distribution This is a tropical genus occurring in the Western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Description There ...

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

* '' Volutifusus'' Conrad, 1863 * '' Volutoconus'' Crosse, 1871 * '' Waihaoia'' Marwick, 1926 * '' Zygomelon'' Harasewych & Marshall, 1995 * '' Zidona'' H. Adams and

, 1853

References

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
{{Authority control Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque Gastropod families Volutoidea