Xenophora

Xenophora
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous–Recent
A ventral view of a shell of Xenophora pallidula, with attached gastropod shells
A lateral view of the same shell
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily: Xenophoroidea
Family: Xenophoridae
Genus: Xenophora
Fischer von Waldheim, 1807[1]
Species

See text

Synonyms

Xenophorus (incorrect subsequent spelling of Xenophora Fischer von Waldheim, 1807)

Xenophora, commonly called carrier shells, is a genus of medium-sized to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Xenophoridae, the carrier snails or carrier shells.[2] The genus Xenophora is the type genus of the family Xenophoridae.

Xenophora is also the name of the quarterly magazine of the French Conchologist Association.[3]

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.[4]

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.[5] 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:[5][6][7]

Subgenus Xenophora (Austrophora) Kreipl, Alf & Kronenberg, 1999
Subgenus Xenophora (Xenophora) Fischer von Waldheim, 1807
Species brought into synonymy

See also

References

  1. ↑ Fischer von Waldheim J. (1807). Mus. Démid. 3: 213.
  2. ↑ 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
  3. ↑ Xenophora.org website accessed 24 April 2014
  4. ↑ Xenophora.org website accessed 24 April 2014
  5. 1 2 Kreipl, K. & Alf, A. (1999): Recent Xenophoridae. 148 pp. incl. 28 color plts. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, ISBN 3-925919-26-0.
  6. ↑ Powell A. W. B. (1979). New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand. ISBN 0-00-216906-1
  7. ↑ OBIS Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database
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