''Xenophora'',
commonly called carrier shells, is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of medium-sized to large sea
snails
A snail is a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gas ...
,
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 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 relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Xenophoridae
Xenophoridae, common name, commonly called carrier shells, is a family (biology), family of medium-sized to large sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Littorinimorpha.
Distribution
The Xenophorids live on sand and ...
, the carrier snails or carrier shells.
[WoRMS (2012). Xenophora. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138664 on 2012-06-28] The genus ''Xenophora'' is the type genus of the family Xenophoridae.
Etymology
The name ''Xenophora'' comes from two ancient Greek words, and means "bearing foreigners", so-called because in most species the snail cements pieces of rock or shells to its own shell at regular intervals as the shell grows.
Description
The
shells of species within this genus vary from small to large (diameter of base without attachments 19–90 mm; height of shell 21–60 mm), depressed-conical, with narrow to very narrow, simple peripheral edge, non-porcellanous ventrally. Foreign objects are attached to all
whorls, with generally more than 30% of dorsal surface obscured by these objects. The foreign objects are usually medium-sized to large.
[Kreipl, K. & Alf, A. (1999): ''Recent Xenophoridae''. 148 pp. incl. 28 color plts. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, .] Although the foreign objects are usually mollusk shells, pebbles, or small pieces of coral rock, in some instances a bottle cap has been attached by the snail to its shell.
Species
The genus ''Xenophora'' includes the following species and subspecies:
* ''
Xenophora minuta''
Qi & Ma, 1986
* ''
Xenophora robusta''
Verrill, 1870
; Subgenus ''Xenophora (Austrophora)''
Kreipl, Alf & Kronenberg, 1999
* ''
Xenophora flindersi''
(Cotton & Godfrey, 1938)
;Subgenus ''Xenophora (Xenophora)''
Fischer von Waldheim, 1807
* ''
Xenophora cerea''
( Reeve, 1845)
* ''
Xenophora chinensis''
Philippi
Philippi (; , ''Phílippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides (, ''Krēnĩdes'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colonists in 360/359 BC. The city was renamed by Phili ...
, 1841)
* ''
Xenophora conchyliophora''
( Born, 1780) - American carriersnail (
type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
of ''Xenophora'')
* ''
Xenophora corrugata''
( Reeve, 1842)
* ''
Xenophora crispa''
(König, 1825)
* ''
Xenophora granulosa''
Ponder, 1983
* ''
Xenophora japonica''
Kuroda & Habe in Kuroda et al., 1971
*''
Xenophora konoi''
Habe, 1953
*''
Xenophora mekranensis''
(Newton, 1905)
* ''
Xenophora neozelanica''
Suter, 1908 - New Zealand carriershell
** ''Xenophora neozelandica neozelandica''
Suter, 1908
** ''Xenophora neozelandica kermadecensis''
Ponder, 1983
* ''
Xenophora pallidula''
( Reeve, 1842) - pallid carrier shell
* ''
Xenophora peroniana''
(Iredale, 1929)
** ''Xenophora peroniana peroniana''
(Iredale, 1929)
** ''Xenophora peroniana kondoi''
Ponder 1983
* ''
Xenophora senegalensis''
Fischer, 1873
* ''
Xenophora sinensis''
Qi & Li, 1986
* ''
Xenophora solarioides''
( Reeve, 1845)
* ''
Xenophora tenuis''
Fulton, 1938
;Species brought into synonymy:
* Subgenus ''Xenophora'' (''Stellaria'') Möller, 1832: synonym of ''
Stellaria
''Stellaria'' is a genus of about 190 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Common names include starwort, stitchwort and chickweed.
Description
''Stellaria'' species are relatively small ...
'' Möller, 1832
* ''Xenophora (Stellaria) testigera'' (Bronn, 1831): synonym of ''
Stellaria testigera'' (Bronn, 1831)
* ''Xenophora australis'' Souverbie & Montrouzier, 1870: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) solarioides'' (Reeve, 1845)
* ''Xenophora calculifera'' (Reeve, 1843): synonym of ''
Stellaria chinensis'' (Philippi, 1841)
* ''Xenophora caperata'' sensu Petit de la Saussaye, 1857: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) senegalensis'' Fischer, 1873
* ''Xenophora caribaea''
Petit de la Saussaye, 1857 - Caribbean carriersnail: synonym of ''
Onustus caribaeus'' (Petit de la Saussaye, 1857)
* ''Xenophora cavelieri'' Rochebrune, 1883: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) senegalensis'' Fischer, 1873
* ''Xenophora digitata'' Martens, 1878: synonym of ''Stellaria testigera digitata'' Martens, 1878
* ''Xenophora gigantea'' (Schepman, 1909): synonym of ''
Stellaria gigantea'' (Schepman, 1909)
* ''Xenophora helvacea'' Philippi, 1851: synonym of ''
Onustus indicus'' (Gmelin, 1791)
* ''Xenophora indica'' (Gmelin, 1791): synonym of ''
Onustus indicus'' (Gmelin, 1791)
* ''Xenophora japonica'' Kuroda & Habe, 1971: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) japonica'' Kuroda & Habe, 1971
* ''Xenophora konoi'' Habe, 1953: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) mekranensis konoi'' Habe, 1953
* ''Xenophora laevigata'' Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora'' (Born, 1780)
* ''Xenophora lamberti'' Souverbie, 1871: synonym of ''
Stellaria lamberti'' (Souverbie, 1871)
* ''Xenophora longleyi''
Bartsch, 1931 - shingled carriersnail: synonym of ''
Onustus longleyi'' Bartsch, 1931
* ''Xenophora meandrina'' Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora'' (Born, 1780)
* ''Xenophora mediterranea'' Tiberi, 1863: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) crispa'' (König, 1825)
* ''Xenophora neozelanica'' Suter, 1908: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) neozelanica neozelanica'' Suter, 1908
* ''Xenophora regularis''
Habe & Okutani, 1983 : synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) granulosa'' Ponder, 1983
* ''Xenophora tenuis'' Hirase, 1934: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) tenuis'' Fulton, 1983
* ''Xenophora torrida''
Kuroda & Ito, 1961 : synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) cerea'' (Reeve, 1845)
* ''Xenophora tricostata'' Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora'' (Born, 1780)
* ''Xenophora tulearensis'' Stewart & Kosuge, 1993: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) corrugata'' (Reeve, 1842)
* ''Xenophora vulcanica'' Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of ''Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora'' (Born, 1780)
* ''Xenophora wagneri'' Philippi, 1855: synonym of ''
Onustus indicus'' (Gmelin, 1791)
Extinct species
Extinct species within this genus include:
[ Paleobiology Database]
/ref>
* †''Xenophora carditigera'' Nielsen and DeVries 2002
* †''Xenophora cummulans'' Brongniart 1823
* †''Xenophora delecta'' Guppy 1876
* †''Xenophora deshayesi ''Michelotti 1847
* †''Xenophora eocenica'' Abbass 1967
* †''Xenophora floridana'' Mansfield 1930
* †''Xenophora infundibulum'' (Brocchi, 1814)
* †''Xenophora palaeoafra'' Gliozzi and Malatesta 1983
* †''Xenophora paulinae'' Nielsen and DeVries 2002
* †''Xenophora rugata'' Abbass 1967
* †''Xenophora tatei'' Harris 1897
* †''Xenophora terpstrai'' Dey 1961
* †''Xenophora textilina'' Dall 1892
Fossil record
Fossils of ''Xenophora'' are found in marine strata from the Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
to Quaternary
The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...
(age range: from 89.3 to 0.012 million years ago.). Fossils are known all over the world.[G. Manganelli, V. Spadini, S. Cianfanelli ]
See also
Images of a live ''Xenophora conchyliophora'', photographed in situ underwater by Anne DuPont
References
* Kreipl K. & Alf A. (1999). ''Recent Xenophoridae''. Conchbooks, Hackenheim > Germany. 148pp.
External links
Ladd, H.S. (1977). Cenozoic fossil mollusks from western Pacific islands; Gastropods (Eratoidae through Harpidae). U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper. 533: i–iv, 1–84, pls 1–23
Ponder W.F. (1983). ''A revision of the Recent Xenophoridae of the World and of the Australian Fossil Species (Mollusca : Gastropoda)''. Memoir 17. The Australian Museum Sydney, Australia
{{Authority control
Xenophoridae
Extant Coniacian first appearances