Borsoniidae | |
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Apertural view of a shell of Tomopleura reevii | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Neogastropoda |
Superfamily: | Conoidea |
Family: | Borsoniidae Bellardi, 1875 |
Genera | |
See text | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Borsoniidae is a monophyletic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.[1][2]
In 2011, Bouchet, Kantor et al. brought genera from the subfamilies Clathurellinae and Raphitominae (they were previously placed in the family Conidae), as well as genera from the subfamily Zemaciinae (at that point belonging to the family Turridae), together to form the family Borsoniidae. This re-arrangement was based on anatomical characters and a dataset of molecular sequences of three gene fragments [3]
This family is a rather heterogenous group, with wide-ranging varieties in their properties. The medium- to large-sized shells are fusiform to biconic in shape. Their size has a wide range (between 5 mm and 80 mm). The shell can be longitudinally coarsely ribbed, but axial ribs are sometimes obsolete to absent. The smooth columella has a strong (one to three plicae) to obsolete plication upon the middle. This plication varies within genera. In the genus Cordiera there are two columellar plaits. The aperture is elliptical to oval in shape and it has a short to moderately long (e.g. Zemacies excelsa) siphonal canal and a deep anal sinus. The anterior canal has a moderate length and is slightly twisted to the left. The thin outer lip is arcuate. The vestigial or fully developed operculum has a terminal nucleus, and may be missing in some species. The radula is absent in the genus Zemacies.[4]