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Family Fasciolariidae - horse conchs, spindle shells
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Order
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Class
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Gastropoda
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No. of Genera in Ref.
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No. of Species in Ref.
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Environment
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Fresh : No |
Brackish : No |
Marine : Yes
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Aquarium
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First Fossil Record
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Remark
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Shell more or less elongate, fusiform, with a generally elevated spire and a well-developed, sometimes very long, siphonal canal. Sculpture variable, often strong and nodular or composed of spiral threads and axial ribs. Periostracum very thin to thick and fibrous. Aperture long and ovate. Outer lip smooth or with numerous inner spiral lirae. Columella often with a few low basal thread. Operculum thick and corneous, ovate to claw-shaped, with a terminal nucleus. Soft parts of the animal brilliant scarlet. Head small and narrow, with short tentacles bearing eyes on their outer bases. Snout extensible, very long. Foot bluntly truncate anteriorly. Fleshy siphon well developed. Large members of the Fasciolariidae mainly occur on sublittoral bottoms of sand, mud or rubble, sometimes forming large populations. Active predators, feeding on tube worms, vermetid and other molluscs. Sexes separate, fertilization internal. Eggs produced in capsules typically anchored to the substrate by a thin stalk, and hatching often as crawling juveniles, but sometimes also as planktonic, free-swimming larvae. Shallow-water, rock-dwelling fasciolariids are collected at low tide by coastal people, while other specie are sometimes trawled in large quantities on soft bottoms of the continental shelf. These represent a potential resource in some areas. Used as food and for the shell trade, their elegantly shaped shell being popular among collectors (Ref. 348).
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Etymology
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Division
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Reproductive guild
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Typical activity level
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Main Ref.
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Coordinator
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