Order

Neogastropoda

  Class

Gastropoda

  No. of Genera in Ref.

  No. of Species in Ref.

  Environment

Fresh : No | Brackish : No | Marine : Yes

  Aquarium

  First Fossil Record

     

  Remark

Authority from Ref. 3477. Shell variable in shape, generally fusiform, with a high slender spire. Outer surface with many sculptural patterns, composed of spiral or axial to oblique ribs and cords, grooves, nodules or spines. Periostracum often present. Aperture more or less elongate, siphonal canal well marked, short to long. Outer lip generally thin and sharp. A characteristic slit or notch along the posterior part of the outer lip, which is reflected in the growth lines made by the lip. Inner lip mostly smooth. Operculum corneous, with a long snout and widely separated tentacles bearing eyes at or near their bases. Fleshy siphon well developed. Mostly living in soft substrates, but some species also occurring in rock and coral reef habitats. May abound in sublittoral and shelf zones. Active predators, rasping prey with their radula or stabbing it with detachable, needle-like teeth charged with venom. Eggs produced in lens-shaped or triangular corneous capsules with a flat attachment base, hatching as planktonic larvae or as crawling juveniles. Though turrids may be caught in numbers by shrimp trawlers on the continental shelf, they have yet not been used much. However, they represent a potential resource for fisheries and may contribute significantly to the local consumption of seashells. Research on the exploitable species has been undertaken in some West Pacific countries. A few species are also occasionally collected in coastal, shallow water environments (Ref. 349).

  Etymology

  Division

  Reproductive guild

  Typical activity level

  Main Ref.

  Coordinator