Ficidae

Taxobox
name = Ficidae


image_caption = "Ficus gracilis"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Mollusca
classis = Gastropoda
subclassis = Orthogastropoda
superordo = Caenogastropoda
ordo = Sorbeoconcha
subordo = Hypsogastropoda
infraordo = Littorinimorpha
superfamilia = Ficoidea
familia = Ficidae
familia_authority = Meek, 1864 (1840)
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = See text.
synonyms = Pyrullinae Swainson, 1840
Sycotypidae Gray, 1853
Ficulidae Carpenter, 1857
Thalassocyonidae F.Riedel, 1895.

Ficidae or the fig shells are a taxonomic family of medium to large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha.

The shells of these snails are shaped rather like figs or pears.

Distribution

The family is found worldwide, mostly in tropical and warm ocean waters.

Habitat

These snails are found on fine sand and mud bottoms offshore.

hell description

Ficidae shells are thin but strong. They have a large aperture and a long siphonal canal, but an extremely low spire which does not protrude above the outline of the body whorl.

Fig shells very often have subdued spiral ribbing, and are subtly patterned in shades of very pale brown and beige.

Genera

* "Ficus" Röding, 1798
* "Thalassocyon" Barnard, 1960

References

*
* Powell A. W. B., "New Zealand Mollusca", William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1