Mitromorphidae is a monophyletic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.
Bouchet, Kantor et al. elevated in 2011 the subfamily Mitromorphinae (which at that point had been placed in the family Conidae) to the rank of family. This was based on a cladistical analysis of shell morphology, radular characteristics, anatomical characters, and a dataset of molecular sequences of three gene fragments.
Description
The Mitromorphidae have small to medium-sized shells with a high biconic mitriform shape, a paucispiral or multispiral protoconch up to 4.5 whorls, a short or indistinct siphonal canal, narrow aperture with up to 3 columellar pleats, indistinct anal sinus on a weakly pronounced subsutural ramp, fairly smooth surface with spiral sculptural elements. There is no operculum, and the radula is relatively short, hypodermic in character with awl-shaped teeth, a swollen solid basal region, and may have a weak barb at the terminal end of the radular tooth.
Genera
This is a list of the accepted names of genera in the family Mitromorphidae (the main reference for recent species is the World Register of Marine Species). Anarithma Iredale, 1916 Arielia Shasky, 1961 Cymakra Gardner, 1937 † Itia Marwick, 1931 Lovellona Iredale, 1917 Maorimorpha Powell, 1939 † Mitrellatoma Powell, 1942 Mitromorpha Carpenter, 1865 Scrinium Hedley, 1922
Genera brought into synonymy
Ariella Shasky, 1961: synonym of Arielia Shasky, 1961
Citharopsis Pease, 1868: synonym of Anarithma Iredale, 1916
† Clinomitra Bellardi, 1889 : synonym of Mitromorpha Carpenter, 1865
† Diptychomitra Bellardi, 1889 : synonym of Mitromorpha Carpenter, 1865
Helenella Casey, 1904: synonym of Mitromorpha Carpenter, 1865
Mitramorpha : synonym of Mitromorpha Carpenter, 1865 (variant spelling) Mitrithara Hedley, 1922: synonym of Mitromorpha Carpenter, 1865 Mitrolumna Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1883: synonym of Mitromorpha Carpenter, 1865 Vexiariella Shuto, 1983: synonym of Arielia Shasky, 1961
References
Vaught, K.C. (1989). A classification of the living Mollusca. American Malacologists: Melbourne, FL (USA). . XII, 195 pp
External links
Casey T.L. (1904) Notes on the Pleurotomidae with description of some new genera and species. Transactions of the Academy of Science of St. Louis, 14, 123–170