Acteonidae, common name

Common name

A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...

 the "barrel bubble snails", is a family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of small sea snails, marine

Marine (ocean)

Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...

 gastropod mollusks of the informal group Lower Heterobranchia

Lower Heterobranchia

Lower Heterobranchia, also known as the Allogastropoda, is a group of rather specialized, highly-evolved sea slugs and sea snails, within the clade Heterobranchia...

.

Shell description

The shell is usually smaller than 25 mm. The shell of these sand-dwelling micromollusk

Micromollusk

A micromollusk is a descriptive term for a shelled mollusk which is extremely small, even at full adult size. The word is usually, but not exclusively, applied to marine mollusks, although in addition, numerous species of land snails and freshwater mollusks also reach adult size at very small...

s is small, but it is large enough to house the retracted soft parts including the entire mantle

Mantle (mollusc)

The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...

.

The aperture is elongated. The narrow shell aperture

Aperture (mollusc)

The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....

, which is ovate and pointed on the top, can be closed with an operculum

Operculum (gastropod)

The operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...

.

The thick shell is oviform to fusiform, with a short (sometimes sunken) conical apex

Apex (mollusc)

Apex is an anatomical term for the tip of the mollusc shell of a gastropod, scaphopod, or cephalopod mollusc.-Gastropods:The word "apex" is most often used to mean the tip of the spire of the shell of a gastropod...

. They have spiral sculpturing

Sculpture (mollusc)

The sculpture of a mollusc shell is the three-dimensional ornamentation on the outer surface, as distinct from the basic shape of the shell itself or colouration. Sculpture may be concave as well as convex. Sometimes it has microscopic detail. Sculpture refers to the calcareous outer layer, not the...

. The elongated aperture opens up from narrow at the posterior notch to enlarged at the base. The base of the columella has several characteristic plait

Plait (gastropod)

A plait is an anatomical feature which is present the shells of some snails, or gastropods. This sculpture occurs often in the shells of marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Neogastropoda, but it is also found in some pulmonate land snails....

s.

Anatomy

The radula

Radula

The radula is an anatomical structure that is used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared rather inaccurately to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus...

 has no central tooth, and there are five or six laterals on each side. The teeth are very similar in shape and size across the radula, which is specialised for a diet of polychaete worms.

The eggs are enclosed in a long, gelatinous mass, which is attached to the substrate

Substrate (biology)

In biology a substrate is the surface a plant or animal lives upon and grows on. A substrate can include biotic or abiotic materials and animals. For example, encrusting algae that lives on a rock can be substrate for another animal that lives on top of the algae. See also substrate .-External...

 with a short stalk.

The foot is with operculum

Operculum (gastropod)

The operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...

.

Ecology

Acteonidae occur in warm seas in swallow and deep water.

Animals predate polychaetes.

Genera

Genera within the family Acteonidae include:

Genus Acteon Montfort, 1810 - type genus

Genus Callostracon

• Callostracon amabile Watson, 1886
• Callostracon tyrrhenicum Smriglio, C. & P. Mariottini, 1996
  • Distribution : Tyrrhenian Sea.

Genus Crenilabium Cossmann, 1889

• Crenilabium aciculatum Cossman, 1889
• Crenilabium exilis (Jeffreys, 1870)
  • Distribution : Florida, Mexico, Eastern Atlantic, Iceland, Mediterranean.
  • Length : 8.1 mm
  • Description : found at depths of 270 to 2640 m
• Crenilabium pacifica Kuroda & Habe, 1958
  • Distribution : Indo-Pacific

Genus Inopinodon Bouchet, 1975

• Inopinodon azonicus Locard, 1897

Genus Japonactaeon]] Taki, 1956

• Japonactaeon pusillus Macgillivray, 1843
  • Distribution : Florida, Japan, Mediterranean
  • Length : 11 mm
  • Description : found at depths of 200 to 820 m

Genus Liocarenus Harris & Burrows, 1891

• Liocarenus globulinus Forbes, 1844
  • Distribution : Atlantic, Mediterranean

Genus Lissacteon Monterosato, 1890

Genus Maxacteon

• Maxacteon cratericulatus Hedley, 1906
  • Distribution : New Zealand
• Maxacteon fabreanus (= Acteon fabreanus) Crosse, 1874
  • Distribution : Philippines
  • Length : 17–30 mm
  • Description : white shell with five whorls, each whorl filled with lightbrown bands covering the many spirals of each whorl.
• Maxacteon flammea (= Acteon flammeus) Gmelin
  Johann Friedrich Gmelin
  Johann Friedrich Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist and malacologist.- Education :Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp Friedrich Gmelin in 1748 in Tübingen...
  
  , 1791
  • Distribution : Red Sea, tropical Indo-West Pacific
  • Length : 17 mm
  • Description : the headshield is developing secondary tentacles.
• Maxacteon hancocki (= Acteon hancocki) Rudman, 1971
  • Distribution : New Zealand
  • Length : 6 mm
  • Description : headshield with a pair of fleshy lobes; thin operculum
    Operculum (gastropod)
    The operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...
    
    ; white shell with orange-brown markings at the base and at the apex; large body whorl; large columella, slightly twisted; shell sculptured with grooves
• Maxacteon milleri (= Acteon milleri) Rudman, 1971
  • Distribution : New Zealand

Genus Microglyphis Dall, 1902

• Microglyphis breviculus Dall, 1902
  • Distribution America
• Microglyphis curtulus Dall
  • Distribution : Patagonia
• Microglyphis estuarinus Dall, 1908
  • Distribution : West America
• Microglyphis globularis Smith, 1875
  • Distribution : Japan
• Microglyphis japonicus T. Habe, 1952
  • Distribution : Indo-Pacific
• Microglyphis mazatlanicus Dall, 1908
  • Distribution : West America
• Microglyphis perconicus Dall, 1890
  • Distribution : West America

Genus Mysouffa Marcus, 1974

• Mysouffa cumingii (= Acteon mysouffa cumingii) (A. Adams, 1855)
  • Distribution : Florida, Brazil
  • Length : 20 mm
• Mysouffa turrita (Watson, 1883)
  • Distribution : Jamaica, Cuba, Caribbean
  • Length : 14 mm
  • Description : found at depths of around 700 m

Genus Neactaeonina

Neactaeonina

Neactaeonina is a genus of small sea snails, predatory marine gastropod molluscs in the family Acteonidae, the barrel bubble snails.-Species:Species within the genus Neacteonina include:...

Thiele

Johannes Thiele

Johannes Thiele, full name Karl Hermann Johannes Thiele was a German zoologist specialized in malacology. His Handbuch der systematischen Weichtierkunde is a standard work...

, 1912

Genus Obrussena Iredale

Tom Iredale

Tom Iredale was an English-born ornithologist and malacologist who had a long association with Australia, where he lived for most of his life. He was an autodidact who never went to university and lacked formal training...

, 1930

• Obrussena bracteata Iredale
  Tom Iredale
  Tom Iredale was an English-born ornithologist and malacologist who had a long association with Australia, where he lived for most of his life. He was an autodidact who never went to university and lacked formal training...
  
  , 1930
  • Distribution : Australia
• Obrussena moeshimaensis T. Habe, 1952
  • Distribution : Japan

Genus Ovulacteon Dall, 1889

• Ovulacteon meekii Dall, 1889
  • Distribution : Cuba, Bahamas, East Brazil
  • Length : 5.5 mm
  • Description : found at depths of 360 to 820 m

Genus Pseudacteon Thiele

Johannes Thiele

Johannes Thiele, full name Karl Hermann Johannes Thiele was a German zoologist specialized in malacology. His Handbuch der systematischen Weichtierkunde is a standard work...

, 1925

• Pseudacteon albus Sowerby, 1873
  • Distribution : South Africa
• Pseudacteon pusillus Forbes, 1844
  • Distribution : Florida, North Atlantic, Mediterranean
  • Length : 11 mm
• Pseudacteon tenellus Loven, 1846

Genus Punctacteon Kuroda & Habe, 1961

• Punctacteon amakusaensis T. Habe, 1949
  • Distribution : Indo-Pacific
• Punctacteon cebuanus Lan, 1985
  • Distribution : Philippines
• Punctacteon eloisae = Acteon eloisae
• Punctacteon fabraeus H. Crosse
• Punctacteon kajiyamai T. Habe, 1976
  • Distribution : Indo-Pacific
• Punctacteon kawamurai T. Habe, 1952
  • Distribution : Japan
• Punctacteon kirai T. Habe, 1949
  • Distribution : Indo-Pacific
• Punctacteon virgatus : = Acteon virgatus

Genus Pupa

Pupa (gastropod)

Pupa is a genus of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Acteonidae.The genus is named Pupa because the shell of these snails resemble an insect pupa in overall shape....

Röding, 1798:

Genus Rictaxis

Rictaxis

Rictaxis is a genus of minute sea snails or "bubble snails", marine gastropod mollusks or micromollusks in the family Acteonidae, the "barrel bubble" snails.-References:*...

Dall, 1871:

The genus name is derived from Latin words, meaning “open mouth”, and “axis” referring to the columella.

• Rictaxis albus Sowerby, 1873
  • Distribution : South Africa
  • Length : 10–21 mm
  • Description white shell with numerous spiraling white to lightbrown grooves
• Rictaxis painei Dall, 1903
  • Distribution : America
• Rictaxis punctocaelatus Carpenter
  Phillip Pearsall Carpenter
  Philip Pearsall Carpenter Rev. Dr. , who in 1841, was ordained Presbyterian minister in England, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in 1860, and whose field work as a malacologist or conchologist in North America is still well regarded today...
  
  , 1864 Barrel shell; Carpenter's baby bubble
  • Distribution : Southern Alaska, British Columbia, California
  • Length : 10–20 mm
  • Description : found in sand from lowtide line to depths up to 50 m; evenly elleptical shell with alternating darker brown and grayish-brown bands; outer lip and columellar folds are whitish; large spire; ovate columella strongly twisted, with a pointed posterior notch and a rounded base.
• Rictaxis punctostriatus
  Rictaxis punctostriatus
  Rictaxis punctostriatus, common names Adam’s baby bubble and pitted baby-bubble, is a species of minute sea snail or "bubble snail", a marine gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Acteonidae, the "barrel bubble" snails....
  
  (C. B. Adams, 1840) Adam’s baby bubble, pitted baby bubble

Genus Tenuiacteon

• Tenuiacteon ambiguus Hutton, 1885

Genus Tomlinula Strand, 1932

• Tomlinula turrita Watson, 1886

External links

• Acteonidae from Sea slugs of Hawaii