Volutidae

{{Short description|Family of sea snails}} {{Automatic taxobox | name = Volutidae | fossil_range = Cretaceous to Recent | image = Voluta ebraea THELMA DIAS 01(pode usar).JPG | image_caption = A live individual of the Hebrew volute ''Voluta ebraea'' in its natural habitat | taxon = Volutidae | authority = Rafinesque, 1815 | subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies | subdivision = ''See text'' | synonyms_ref= | synonyms= }}

[[Image:Scaphella junonia.jpg|thumb|Apertural view of a shell of ''Scaphella junonia'']] '''Volutidae''', common name '''volutes''', are a taxonomic family of predatory sea snails that range in size from 9 mm to over 500 mm. They are marine gastropod mollusks. Most of the species have no operculum.

==Distribution== This family of sea snails are found mainly in tropical seas, though some species also inhabit the waters of the polar circles.

==Description== The large head has the eyes sessile on the sides below the base of the tentacles. The tentacles are far apart, united by a broad veil over the head. The mantle is sometimes greatly developed, covering the sides of the shell. The siphon is recurved, short, with auricles on each side of the base. The foot is very large, partly hiding the shell. There is no operculum.<ref>[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3782650 Adams, H. & Adams, A. (1853-1858). The genera of Recent Mollusca; arranged according to their organization. London, van Voorst. Vol. 1: xl + 484 pp.; vol. 2: 661 pp.; vol. 3: 138 pls]</ref>

The shell shows distinct plaits on the columella. The apex of the spire is mamillated. The shells have an elongated aperture in their first whorl and an inner lip characterised by a number of deep plaits.

The family of Volutidae comprises a suite of large shells remarkable for their great beauty and elegance of form. The shell of species such as ''Melo amphora'' can grow as large as 50 cm (19.7 inches) in length.<ref name="Poutiers">Poutiers, J. M. (1998). Gastropods in: '''FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes: The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific Volume 1.''' Seaweeds, corals, bivalves and gastropods. Rome, FAO, 1998. page 597.</ref>

Volutes are distinguished by their distinctively marked spiral shells (to which the family name refers, ''voluta'' meaning "scroll" in Latin).

The elaborate decorations of the shells has made them a popular collector's item, with the imperial volute (''Voluta imperialis'') of the Philippines being particularly prized.

== Taxonomy == ===Subfamilies and tribes=== According to Bail & Poppe (2001)<ref name="Bail & Poppe">Bail, P. & Poppe, G. T. (2001). '' A taxonomic introduction to the recent Volutidae''. In: Poppe, G. T. & Groh, K.: ''A Conchological Iconography''. 30 pp., 5 plts. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, {{ISBN|3-925919-47-3}}.</ref> Volutidae can be subdivided into the following subfamilies and tribes: * Amoriinae Gray, 1857 **Tribe Amoriini Gray, 1857 **Tribe Meloini Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954 **Tribe Notovolutini Bail & Poppe, 2001 * Athletinae Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954 * Calliotectinae Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954 * Cymbiinae H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 **Tribe Adelomelonini Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954 **Tribe Alcithoini Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954 **Tribe Cymbiini H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 **Tribe Livoniini Bail & Poppe, 2001 **Tribe Odontocymbiolini Clench & Turner, 1964 **Tribe Zidonini H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * † ''Eovolutinae'' Pacaud, 2016 * Fulgorariinae Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954 * † ''Indovolutinae'' Halder & S. S. Das, 2019 * Plicolivinae Bouchet, 1990 * Scaphellinae Gray, 1857 * † ''Volutilithinae'' Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954 * Volutinae Rafinesque, 1815 **Tribe Lyriini Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954 **Tribe Volutini Rafinesque, 1815

===Genera === Genera within the Volutidae include: * ''Adelomelon'' Dall, 1906 * ''Alcithoe'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Amoria'' Gray, 1855<ref name="Bail et al. 2001">Bail, P., Limpus, A. & Poppe, G. T. (2001): ''The Genus'' Amoria. In: Poppe, G. T. & Groh, K.: ''A Conchological Iconography''. 50 pp., 93 plts. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, {{ISBN|3-925919-46-5}}.</ref> * ''Ampulla'' Röding, 1798 * ''Arctomelon'' Dall, 1915 * ''Athleta'' Conrad, 1853 * ''Callipara'' Gray, 1847 * ''Calliotectum'' Dall, 1890 * ''Capensisvoluta'' S. G. Veldsman & J. H. Veldsman, 2022 * ''Cymbiola'' Swainson, 1831 * ''Cymbiolacca'' * ''Cymbium'' Röding, 1798 **''Cymbium cymbium'' **''Cymbium glans'' **''Cymbium marmoratum'' **''Cymbium olla'' (Linnaeus, 1758) **''Cymbium pepo'' * ''Enaeta'' H. Adams and A. Adams, 1853 * ''Ericusa'' H. Adams and A. Adams, 1858 * ''Festilyria'' Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954 * ''Fulgoraria'' Schumacher, 1817<ref name="Bail et al. 2010">Bail, P., Chino, M. & Terryn, Y. (2010). ''The Family Volutidae. The endemic Far East Asian subfamily Fulgorariinae Pilsbry & Olsson, 1954. A revision of the recent species''. In: Poppe, G. T. & Groh, K.: ''A Conchological Iconography''. 74 pp., 64 plts. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, {{ISBN|978-3-939767-31-2}}.</ref> * ''Fusivoluta'' E. von Martens, 1902 upright=1.35|thumb|Livonia mammilla (Sowerby, 1844), museum specimen. * ''Harpovoluta'' Thiele, 1912 * ''Harpulina'' Dall, 1906 * ''Iredalina'' Finlay, 1926 * ''Leptoscapha'' Fischer, 1883 * ''Livonia'' Gray, 1855 * ''Lyria'' Gray, 1847 * † ''Mauira'' Marwick, 1943 * † ''Mauithoe'' Finlay, 1930 * ''Melo'' Broderip in Sowerby I, 1826 [[Image:Scaphella lamberti.jpg|thumb|Two views of a shell of ''Scaphella lamberti'', and in the center, a cut-down shell showing the folds on the columella]] * † ''Metamelon'' Marwick, 1926 * ''Minicymbiola'' Klappenbach, 1979 * ''Miomelon'' Dall, 1907 * † ''Mitreola'' Swainson, 1833 * ''Nannamoria'' Iredale, 1929 * ''Nanomelon'' Leal & Bouchet, 1989 * ''Nataliavoluta'' S. G. Veldsman & J. H. Veldsman, 2022 * ''Neptuneopsis'' Sowerby III, 1898 * ''Notopeplum'' Finlay, 1927 * ''Notovoluta'' Cotton, 1946 * ''Odontocymbiola'' Clench & Turner, 1964 * ''Pachycymbiola'' Ihering, 1907 * † ''Pachymelon'' Marwick, 1926 * ''Paramoria'' McMichael, 1960 * ''Plicoliva'' Petuch, 1979 * ''Provocator'' Watson, 1882 * ''Scaphella'' Swainson, 1832 * ''Spinomelon'' Marwick, 1926 * ''Tenebrincola'' Harasewych & Kantor, 1991 * ''Teramachia'' * ''Ternivoluta'' E. von Martens, 1897 * ''Tractolira'' Dall, 1890 * ''Voluta'' Linnaeus, 1758 * ''Volutifusus'' Conrad, 1863 * ''Volutoconus'' Crosse, 1871 * ''Waihaoia'' Marwick, 1926 * ''Zygomelon'' Harasewych & Marshall, 1995 * ''Zidona'' H. Adams and A. Adams, 1853

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * [https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=74300 ITIS] * "Volute." ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2006. * Powell A W B, ''New Zealand Mollusca'', William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 {{ISBN|0-00-216906-1}} * Merle & Pacaud & Marivaux, Volutidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of the Lakhra Formation (Earliest Eocene, Sindh, Pakistan): systematics, biostratigraphy and paleobiogeography; Zootaxa, 3826 (1) : 101–138, fig. 1-12, 2014

==External links== {{Commons category|Volutidae}} * [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7083312#page/11/mode/1up Biodiversity Library: Maxwell Smith, ''A review of the Volutidae'', Beal-Maltbie Shell Museum, Florida, 1942] * [https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0642/report.pdf Miocene Gastropods and Biostratigraphy of the Kern River Area, California; United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 642] {{PD-notice}}

Category:Volutidae Category:Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque Category:Gastropod families Category:Volutoidea