Nassariidae


The Nassariidae, Nassa mud snails, or dog whelks are a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized snails, mostly marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Neogastropoda. These snails have rounded shells with a high spire, an oval aperture, and a siphonal notch. This family of snails is found worldwide.
These snails are found mostly in shallow water, on sandy or muddy substrates, often intertidally, but sometimes in deep water. They can be present in very large numbers in suitable habitat. Nassariidae are primarily active and lively scavengers.

Subtaxa

, the World Register of Marine Species accepts the following 48 genera, arranged within 7 subfamilies.
Anentominae E. E. Strong, Galindo & Kantor, 2017Anentome Cossmann, 1901Clea H. Adams & A. Adams, 1855Oligohalinophila Neiber & Glaubrecht, 2019
Bulliinae Allmon, 1990Adinus H.Adams & A. Adams, 1853Bullia J.E. Gray, 1833Bulliopsis Conrad, 1862 †
Cylleninae Bellardi, 1882Cyllene J.E. Gray, 1834Neoteron Pilsbry & H. N. Lowe, 1932
Dorsaninae Cossmann, 1901Akburunella V. P. Kolesnikov, 1935 †Calophos Woodring, 1964 †Cyllenina Bellardi, 1882 †Dorsanum J.E. Gray, 1847Keepingia C. P. Nuttall & J. Cooper, 1973 †Lisbonia K. van W. Palmer, 1937 †Pseudocominella C. P. Nuttall & J. Cooper, 1973 †Thanetinassa C. P. Nuttall & J. Cooper, 1973 †Whitecliffia C. P. Nuttall & J. Cooper, 1973 †
Nassariinae Iredale, 1916
The operculum is ovate, acute and with an apical nucleus; the margin is entire or serrated. The eyes in some of the genera are near the base of the tentacles, in others near their middle, and are sometimes wanting. The aperture of the shell is either truncate, or with a short recurved siphonal canal, and the inner lip is usually callous and spreading over the body whorl.Buccitriton Conrad, 1865 †Caesia H.Adams & A. Adams, 1853Demoulia Gray, 1838Ilyanassa W. Stimpson, 1865Nassarius Duméril, 1805Nassodonta H.Adams, 1867Naytia H.Adams & A. Adams, 1853Phrontis H.Adams & A. Adams, 1853Psilarius Woodring, 1964 †Reticunassa Iredale, 1936Tritia Risso, 1826Yemeninassoides Bonfitto, 2024
Photinae J.E. Gray, 1857Antillophos Woodring, 1928Coraeophos Makiyama, 1936 †Cymatophos Pilsbry & Olsson, 1941 †Engoniophos Woodring, 1928Europhos Landau, Harzhauser, İslamoğlu & C. M. Silva, 2013 †Glyptophos Landau, C. M. Silva & Heitz, 2016 †Judaphos P. Jung, 1995 †Metaphos Olsson, 1964Microphos Dekkers & H. Dekker, 2020Northia Gray, 1847Philindophos Shuto, 1969 †Phos Montfort, 1810Rhipophos Woodring, 1964 †Strombinophos Pilsbry & Olsson, 1941Tritiaria Conrad, 1865 †
Tomliniinae Kantor, Fedosov, Kosyan, Puillandre, Sorokin, Kano, R. Clark & Bouchet, 2021Nassaria Link, 1807Pseudanachis Thiele, 1924Tomlinia Peile, 1937Trajana J.A. Gardner, 1948

Taxonomic history

The family Nassariidae is closely related to the family of the true whelks, Buccinidae, because of their shared characteristics in the anatomy of the species in these families,), i.e. a long proboscis, the loss of glandular dorsal folds, and a smaller gland of Leiblein.
According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) the family Nassariidae consisted of four subfamilies:
  • Nassariinae Iredale, 1916 - synonyms: Nassinae Swainson, 1835 ; Cyclopsidae Chenu, 1859 ; Cyclonassinae Gill, 1871; Alectrionidae Dall, 1908; Arculariidae Iredale, 1915
  • Bullinae Allmon, 1990
  • Cylleninae L. Bellardi, 1882
  • Dorsaninae Cossmann, 1901 - synonym: Duplicatinae Muskhelishvili, 1967
In 2006, Photinae Gray, 1857 was recognized.
In 2017, Strong, Galindo & Kantor, 2017 recognized Anentominae as a new subfamily.
Kantor et al. used molecular data to revise the classification of the Buccinoidea superfamily, proposing 20 taxa of family rank and 23 subfamilies. This included the description of a new subfamily of Nassariidae, Tomliniinae.