Naticidae

Naticidae
Temporal range: late Triassic or early Jurassic – Recent[1]
A live individual of Naticarius hebraeus (Martyn, 1786), viewed from the front
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Superfamily: Naticoidea
Family: Naticidae
Guilding, 1834
Type genus
Pseudomelatoma
Dall, 1918
Genera

See text

Diversity[1]
260–270 Recent species

Naticidae, common name moon snails or necklace shells, is a family of medium to large-sized predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha. The shells of the species in this family are mostly globular in shape.

Naticidae is the only family in the superfamily Naticoidea.

It has been estimated that worldwide there are about 260–270 recent species of naticid snails.[1] This group is assumed to have originated in the late Triassic or in the early Jurassic.[1] Members of this family can be recognized by the shape of their shells, distinct appearance, or by their predatory behavior.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference Huelsken2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).