''Tritonium'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of 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 es ...

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 ...

Cancellariidae, commonly known as the nutmeg snails. The genus name Tritonium has been given twice to species with a different type species : * ''Tritonium'' O.F. Müller, 1776 : type species ''

Buccinum undatum ''Buccinum undatum'', the common whelk or the waved buccinum, is a large, edible marine gastropod in the family Buccinidae, the "true whelks".Fraussen, K.; Gofas, S. (2014). Buccinum undatum Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of M ...

'' Linnaeus, 1758 (given by Stewart in 1926); this makes this name an objective synonym of '' Buccinum''. * ''Tritonium'' Röding, 1798 : type species : ''Murex tritonis'' Linnaeus, 1758 (given by Cossman in 1903); this makes this name an objective synonym of '' Charonia'' Gistel, 1847. Neither of these original names is valid. Confusion increased when, during the 18th and 19th century, authors added species but didn't specify to which ''Tritonium'' they belonged. The authors of 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) have arbitrarily attributed the species now placed in Buccinidae, Muricidae, and other neogastropod families, to ''Tritonium'' O.F. Müller, 1776. The species now placed in Ranellidae and Bursidae, have been attributed to ''Tritonium'' Röding, 1798.

Species

Some of the species that used to be included within the genus ''Tritonium'' : * ''Tritonium clathratus'' (Linnaeus, 1767): synonym off ''

Boreotrophon clathratus ''Boreotrophon clathratus'', common name the clathrate trophon, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Description The height of the shell varies between 12 mm an ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1767) * '' Tritonium submuricatum'' Schrenck, 1862: (

species inquirenda In biological classification, a ''species inquirenda'' is a species of doubtful identity requiring further investigation. The use of the term in English-language biological literature dates back to at least the early nineteenth century. The term ...

)

References

External links

* Cancellariidae {{Cancellariidae-stub