Epitoniidae

Also known as Wentletrap

Wentletraps are small, often white, very high-spired, predatory or ectoparasitic sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Epitoniidae. The family Epitoniidae belongs to the superfamily Epitonioidea. Since 2017 this family also includes the former families Janthinidae (the pelagic purple snails) and Nystiellidae, all part of the informal group Ptenoglossa. Epitoniidae is a rather large family, with an estimated number of species about 630.

Species

staircase shells

FAMILY

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumMollusca
ClassGastropoda
OrderCaenogastropoda incertae sedis
FamilyEpitoniidae

Habitatmarine

Observations recorded84,032

海蛳螺科（学名：Epitoniidae）是一個小型、獵食性或外寄生性的海洋腹足纲软体动物下的一科。舊屬异腹足目，今屬高腹足類支序翼舌類。代表物种有绮蛳螺等。當紫螺科未被合併進本科前，本科物種通常都是白色的。紫螺科（學名：Janthinidae），又名海蝸牛科，原是海蛳螺總科之下的一科，但再時已合併到海蛳螺科去了。這組浮游生物的腹足已演化為槳狀，以產生黏液泡泡來其身體「浮」起來

via GBIF

Wikidata facts

Image: Epitonium scalare shell.jpg

Show 3 more facts

Commons category: Epitoniidae
taxon name: Epitoniidae
taxon common name: Wendeltreppen

Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~8 min read

Article

8 sections

Contents

Distribution
Shell description
Ecology
Genera
Synonyms
References
Further reading
External links

The word wentletrap originated in Dutch (wenteltrap), and it means spiral staircase. These snails are sometimes also called "staircase shells", and "ladder shells".