Tritons: Family Cymatiidae
Cymatiidae is a family of large sea snails in the superfamily Tonnoidea and the order Littorinimorpha. Members of this family are predators. The main shells of this family I've collected are known as Hairy Tritons, Cymatium (Monoplex) pileare (Linnaeus, 1758). The Hairy Triton is a relatively common tropical western Atlantic species that is present also in the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans, including Polynesia and Hawaii.
Large Atlantic "Hairy Triton" shell from S. Hutchinson Island 2020
I have a good representation of Tritons in my collection.
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Cymatium (Monoplex) pileare (Linnaeus, 1758) Western Atlantic
Most workers had formerly considered this Western Atlantic morph as separate species - known as Cymatium (Monoplex) martinianum (d' Orbigny, 1847). However recently published information (A. G. Beu, 2010) indicates that it is but a form of C. pileare.
Beu, A.G., 2010. Neogene tonnoidean gastropods of tropical and South America: Contributions of the Dominican Republic and Panama Paleontology Projects and uplift of the Central American Isthmus. Bulletins of American Paleontology 377-378: 1-549 incl. 79 pls. August.
Interestingly, the protoconch of this morph (see images below) was mistaken for an adult shell and named Litiopa effusa by C. B. Adams (1850: 71) [unfigured and type lost fide Clench and Turner, 1950: 276]. The protoconchs of Litiopa spp. have a reticulated sculpture quite unlike that of this species. This is the first but not the only case of mistaken identity of a ranellid protoconch. The protoconch of Cymatium parthenopeum (von Salis, 1793) was named Dissenoma prima by Pilsbry (1945: 59-60; fig. 1) and that of Cymatium aquatile (Reeve, 1844) Rissoa cruzensis Nowell-Usticke (1969: 10, pl. 2, fig. 258).
Adams, C.B., 1850. Contributions to Conchology H. Bailliere, New York. iv + 258. issued in 12 parts. <http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/13932#/summary>
Clench, W.J. and R.D. Turner, 1950. The western Atlantic marine mollusks described by C. B. Adams. Occ. Pap. Moll. 1(15): 233-403 incl. pls. 29-49. 26 June. <http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/32851#page/251/mode/1up>
Nowell-Usticke, G.W., 1969. A Supplementary Listing of New Shells, to be Added to the Check List of the Marine Shells of St. Croix. Published privately, St. Croix. 32 pp., 6 pls. Feb.
Pilsbry, H.A., 1945. New Floridian marine mollusks. The Nautilus 59: 59-60, pl. 6. October.
<http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/34885#page/79/mode/1up>
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Cymatiidae
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Superfamily: Tonnoidea
Family: Cymatiidae
Iredale, 1913 (1854)[1]
Genera
see text
Synonyms[1]
Cymatiinae Powell, 1933
Cymatiidae is a family of large sea snails in the superfamily Tonnoidea and the order Littorinimorpha.[1] Members of this family are predators.[2]
Genera
The family Cymatiidae contains the following genera:[1]
Argobuccinum Herrmannsen, 1846
Austrosassia Finlay, 1931
Austrotriton Cossmann, 1903
Cabestana Röding, 1798
Cymatiella Iredale, 1924
Cymatium Roding, 1798
Cymatona Iredale, 1929
Distorsomina Beu, 1998
Fusitriton Cossmann, 1903
Gelagna Schauffus, 1869
Gutturnium Mørch, 1852
Gyrineum Link, 1807
Halgyrineum Beu, 1998
Linatella Gray, 1857
Lotoria Emerson & Old, 1963
Monoplex Perry, 1810
Personella Conrad, 1865
Proxicharonia Powell, 1938
Ranularia Schumacher, 1817
Reticutriton Habe & Kosuge, 1966
Sassia Bellardi, 1873
Septa Perry, 1810
Turritriton Dall, 1904
References
Cymatiidae Iredale, 1913 (1854). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 4 December 2018.
Ponder, Winston Frank; Lindberg, David R.; Ponder, Juliet Mary (2019). Biology and Evolution of the Mollusca. CRC Press. p. 1934. ISBN 978-1-351-11564-3.
Miocene Gastropods and Biostratigraphy of the Kern River Area, California; United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 642 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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Monoplex pilearis, common name the hairy triton, is a species of medium-sized predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae.[1]
Contents
Distribution
This species is widespread in the Atlantic, in the Red Sea and in the Indo-Western Pacific from East and South Africa, to eastern Polynesia, north to southern Japan and Hawaii and south to southern Queensland.[2][3][4][5]
Habitat
This tropical benthic sea snails can be found at a depth range of 0 – 50 m.[4] They mainly live on hard and coarse detritic bottoms, in coral reef areas.[5]
Description
Shells of Monoplex pilearis can reach a size of 38–140 millimetres (1.5–5.5 in).[2] These large shells are elongate with a tall spire and a strongly inflated body whorl. They show a yellowish-brown surface with chestnut- brown spiral ribs. The columella and the aperture are dark brown with white teeth.[6] The outer sculpture is relatively fine, with long inner ridges of the outer lip, extending deep into the aperture.[5]
Biology
These sea snails are active predators. They are reported as feeding on bivalves. Eggs are laid on the substrate in large capsules clustered in masses.[5]
A shell of Monoplex pilearis
References
Monoplex pilearis (Linnaeus, 1758). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 5 December 2018.
Hardy's Internet Guide to Marine Gastropods
Galli C.: WMSDB - Worldwide Mollusc Species Data Base
Sea Life Base
Cymatium pileare at FAO.org[permanent dead link]
Angeline Myra Keen Sea Shells of Tropical West America: Marine Mollusks from Baja California to Peru
Beu, A. (2010). Catalogue of Tonnoidea
A shell of Monoplex pilearis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Cymatiidae
Genus: Monoplex
Species: M. pilearis
Binomial name
Monoplex pilearis
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[1]
Cymatium (Monoplex) pileare orientalis Garcia-Talavera, 1987
Cymatium (Septa) pileare (Linnaeus, 1758)
Cymatium (Septa) pileare martinianum (d'Orbigny, 1847)
Cymatium martinianum (d'Orbigny, 1847)
Cymatium pileare (Linnaeus, 1758)
Cymatium vestitum insulare Pilsbry, 1921
Eutritonium pileare (Linnaeus, 1758)
Litiopa effusa C. B. Adams, 1850
Murex pilearis Linnaeus, 1758
Saginafusus pricei perficus Iredale, 1931
Triton haemastoma Valenciennes, 1832
Triton martinianum d’Orbigny, 1842
Triton martinianus d'Orbigny, 1847
Triton veliei Calkins, 1878
Tritonium (Simpulum) beccarii Tapparone-Canefri, 1875
Tritonium olearium Röding, 1798