 | This taxon may be invalid (unaccepted). (Jan 2019) |
| Conilithidae | |
|---|---|
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| Apertural view of shell of Conasprella pagoda (Kiener, 1845) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Conoidea |
| Family: | Conilithidae Tucker & Tenorio, 2009 |
| Genera | |
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See text | |
Conilithidae is a proposed taxonomic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, specifically cone snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea, the cone snails and their allies.[1][2][3]
In 2009, John K. Tucker and Manuel J. Tenorio proposed elevating the subfamily Conilithinae (previously placed in the family Conidae) to the rank of family. This was based on a cladistic analysis of anatomical characters, including the radular tooth, the morphology (i.e. shell characters), as well as an analysis of prior molecular phylogeny studies, all of which were used to construct phylogenetic trees.[1] In their phylogeny, Tucker and Tenorio noted the close relationship of the various species within the genera in the Conilithidae; this also corresponded to the results of prior molecular studies by Puillandre et al..[4] Tucker and Tenorio's proposed classification system for the cone shells and their allies (and the other clades of Conoidean gastropods) is set forth at Tucker & Tenorio cone snail taxonomy 2009.
Like other species in the superfamily Conoidea, these snails are predatory and venomous, able to inject neurotoxins into their prey with their radula. The species in this family are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all.
- ^ a b Tucker J.K. & Tenorio M.J. (2009) Systematic classification of Recent and fossil conoidean gastropods. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 296 pp., at p. 133
- ^ Bouchet P., Kantor Yu.I., Sysoev A. & Puillandre N. (2011) A new operational classification of the Conoidea. Journal of Molluscan Studies 77: 273-308.
- ^ Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.) (2005). "Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families". Malacologia 47(1-2). ISBN 3-925919-72-4. 397 pp.
- ^ N. Puillandre, S. Samadi, M. Boesselier, A. Sysoev, Y. Kantor, C. Cruaud, A. Couloux, & P. Bouchett (2008), Starting to unravel the toxoglossan knot: molecular phylogeny of the "turrid" (Neogastropoda: Conoidea), Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 47:1122-1134.