Calliostomatidae


Calliostomatidae is a family of sea snails within the superfamily Trochoidea and the clade Vetigastropoda.

Description

The Calliostomatidae are unusually diverse. They are characterized by a stepped spire and a pointy aperture. They may possess or lack an umbilicus. The collumella is sometimes thicker, partially covering the aperture. The spiral whorls can differ between narrow and robust. They inhabit a wide range of ocean habitats, from the intertidal zone to mid-bathyal depths.

Taxonomy

This taxon was long considered to be a subfamily of the Trochidae.

2005 taxonomy

This family consists of two following subfamilies :
According to Williams et al. the Calliostomatidae stays in Trochoidea. Up to 2008 there were only two species Calliostoma javanicum and Calliostoma unicum that were used in molecular phylogeny studies.

2010 taxonomy

The first molecular phylogeny study of the family Calliostomatidae was made by Williams et al. Based on molecular data, they confirmed that Thysanodontinae Marshall, 1988 belongs to the family Calliostomatidae,. It was already previously placed there based on morphological data.

Genera

Genera included in this family:
;Calliostomatinae
; Margarellinae Williams, 2013
;Thysanodontinae:
;Xeniostomatinae
;subfamily ?
;Genera brought into synonymy: