Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries, is a family of small to large predatory or parasitic , marine gastropod in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and the cowry allies. [MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Ovulidae J. Fleming, 1822. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1747 on 2020-05-25]
Distribution
The ovulids are a widespread family, occurring mostly in tropical and subtropical waters, with most species in the Indo-West Pacific region. But a few species live in temperate waters.
Habitat
Ovulids are carnivorous molluscs that feed on polyps and tissues of
Anthozoa (as do the genera
Cyphoma and
Pseudocyphoma). They live on, and eat,
Octocorallia and
, and they are usually regarded as
ectoparasites of these sessile colonial organisms, to which they are anchored by a long and narrow foot. This extreme specialisation in their alimentary regime has caused important morphological modifications to their
radula.
[Thiele J. (1929). Handbuch der Systematischen Weichtierkunde, 1. Fischer, Jena, 376 pp.][Vayssière A. (1923). "Recherches zoologiques et anatomiques sur les mollusques de la famille des Cypraeidés, 1ère partie". Annales du Musée d’Histoire naturelle de Marseille Zoologie 18(1921): 1–120. Plates 1–14.]
Shell description
Ovulids mostly have smooth shiny
Mollusc shell with a very long aperture and a very low or invisible spire. The shell can be pyriform (shaped like a pear), ovate (egg-shaped) to sub-ovate, cylindrical or lanceolate (lance-shaped).
The shell is often monochromatic white, but in some species the shell is pink or reddish.
In a few species of ovulids, the shell quite closely resembles that of cowries. However in many other species, the shells are so elongate that they do not so much resemble the shells of that closely related family.
When these snails are alive, the mantle completely covers the shell almost all of the time. Pictures of living animals usually show the brightly colored and decorated mantle, which looks very different from the often rather plain, shiny surface of the shell.
The color patterns of the mantle closely resemble the color patterns of the host species. This is due to the phenomenon of "alimentary homochromy" (obtaining the same color as the host by feeding on the host). This phenomenon gives them a remarkable camouflage ability.
Taxonomy
2005 taxonomy
The following five
subfamily have been recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005):
-
Ovulinae Fleming, 1822
-
tribe Ovulini Fleming, 1822 – synonyms: Amphiperatidae Gray, 1853; Simniini Schilder, 1927; Volvini Schilder, 1932
-
tribe Eocypraeini Schilder, 1924 – synonym: Sulcocypraeini Schilder, 1932
-
† Cypraediinae Schilder, 1927
-
Jenneriinae Thiele, 1929 – synonym: Cyproglobinini Schilder, 1932
-
Pediculariinae Gray, 1853
-
Pseudocypraeinae Steadman & Cotton, 1943
See also Schiaparelli et al. (2005).
2007 taxonomy
Fehse (2007)
[Fehse D. (2007). "Contributions to the knowledge of the Ovulidae. XVI. The higher systematics". Spixiana 30(1): 121–125. PDF .] have elevated subfamily Pediculariinae to family
Pediculariidae and tribe Eocypraeini to family
Eocypraeidae both to family level based on morphological research of the
,
Mollusc shell and animal morphology and the molecular phylogeny research of the 16S ribosomal RNA
gene.
Subsequently he has established new subfamilies Prionovolvinae and Aclyvolvinae.
family Ovulidae
Genera
Genera within the family Ovulidae include:
Subfamily Eocypraeinae F. A. Schilder, 1924 (synonym: Prionovolvinae Fehse, 2007)
-
Adamantia Cate, 1973:
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† Allmoniella Dolin & Dockery, 2018
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Amonovula Fehse, 2019
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† Apiocypraea F. A. Schilder, 1927
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Archivolva F. Lorentz, 2009
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Calpurnus Montfort, 1810<
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Carpiscula Cate, 1973
-
Crenavolva Cate, 1973
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Cuspivolva Cate, 1973
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Dentiovula Hinds, 1844
-
Diminovula Tom Iredale, 1930
-
† Eocypraea Cossmann, 1903
-
† Eotrivia Schilder, 1924
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† Eschatocypraea Schilder, 1966
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Globovula Cate, 1973
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† Grovesia Dolin & Ledon, 2002
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Habuprionovolva Azuma, 1970
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Lacrima Cate, 1973
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† Oxycypraea F. A. Schilder, 1927
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Primovula Thiele, 1925
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Prionovolva Tom Iredale, 1930
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Procalpurnus Thiele, 1939
-
Prosimnia Schilder, 1925
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Pseudosimnia Schilder, 1925
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Rotaovula Cate & Azuma in Cate, 1973
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Sandalia Cate, 1973
-
Serratovolva Cate, 1973
-
† Taviania Dolin & Pacaud, 2009
-
Stohleroma Cate, 1973:
-
Testudovolva Cate, 1973
Subfamily Simniinae Schilder, 1925
Subfamily Ovulinae Fleming, 1828
Subfamily Aclyvolvinae
subfamily placement?
Further reading
-
Dolin, L. & Ledon, D. (2002). "Nouveaux taxons et discussion de la systématique des genres correspondants d’Ovulidae (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda) de l’Éocène inférieur de Gan (France)". Geodiversitas 24(2): 329–347. PDF.
External links
