Naticidae

Naticidae, common name the moon snails, is a family of minute to large-sized predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha.

Naticidae is the only family in the superfamily Naticoidea.

It has been estimated that worldwide there are about 260–300 Recent species in this family, which is assumed to have originated in the late Triassic or in the early Jurassic.

Members of the Naticidae can easily be recognized by their shell shape, distinctive markings and peculiar predatory behavior.

Distribution

Naticids occur world-wide. The greatest species and generic diversity is found in tropical regions, but Naticidae are also abundant in moderately temperate as well as Arctic and Antarctic waters.

Habitat

Moon snails live on sandy substrates, at a great variety of depths depending on the species. They are often seen ploughing along in the sand searching for prey.

Life habits

Naticids are predatory, feeding mostly on bivalves. They will attack almost any shelled mollusk they encounter in the sand, such as scaphopods and gastropods, including other moon snails.

The moonsnail envelops the prey and then bores a hole through the shell using their radula and an acid secretion. Once the shell is bored open, the proboscis is used to consume the flesh of the prey. The hole in the shell, which has a "countersunk" appearance with chamfered edges and is about one eighth of an inch in diameter, is a characteristic diagnostic sign of moon snail predation.

In the breeding season, the female moon snail lays an rather stiff egg mass which includes sand and mucus. These objects wash up on sandy beaches fairly often, and are known by the common name "sand collars" because of their resemblance to an old-fashioned removable shirt collar or false-collar.

Classification

Some authors have suggested a distinct separation of the Naticidae into four subfamilies: Ampullospirinae, Naticinae, Polinicinae and Sininae. This arrangement is mainly based on morphological data, such as details of the operculum including the material (calcareous in the Naticinae, corneous in the Polinicinae and Sininae) and size, and also the morphology of the shell.

The new taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) however only recognizes three subfamilies : Naticinae Guilding, 1834 - synonyms: Polinicinae Gray, 1847 ; Neveritinae Gray, 1857; Choristidae Verrill, 1882; Euspiridae Cossmann, 1907; Mammillinae Iredale & McMichael, 1962; Eunaticinini Oyama, 1469
Sininae Woodring, 1928 - synonyms: Sigaretidae Gary, 1827; Cryptostomidae Gray, 1827
Globisininae Powell, 1933

To date, the naticid species are assigned into the following genera:

Amauropsis Mörch, 1857
Bulbus Brown, 1839
Calinaticina J. Q. Burch and Campbell, 1963
Cryptonatica Dall, 1892
Eunaticina Fischer, 1885
Euspira Agassiz in Sowerby, 1838
Falsilunatia Powell, 1951
Friginatica Hedley, 1916
Glossaulax
Globisinum Marwick, 1924
Gyrodes Conrad, 1860
Haliotinella Souverbie, 1875
Lunatia Gray, 1847
Natica Scopoli, 1777
Naticarius Duméril, 1806
Neverita Risso, 1826
Polinices Montfort, 1810
Proxiuber Powell, 1933
Sigatica Meyer and Aldrich, 1886
Sinum Röding, 1798
Stigmaulax Mörch, 1852
Tanea Marwick, 1931
Tectonatica Sacco, 1890
Uberella Finlay, 1928

Translation

The word "Naticidae" occurs as such in the following languages: English, French, Italian.

Translation(s) in other languages: German: Mondschnecken, Japanese: タマガイ科.