Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 8, 2026

Cerithioidea

The Cerithioidea is a superfamily of marine, brackish water and freshwater gastropod containing more than 200 genera. The Cerithioidea are included unassigned in the subclass Caenogastropoda. The original name of this superfamily was Cerithiacea, in keeping with common superfamily endings at the time.

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Jun 8, 2026
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Cerithioidea
Temporal range:
A live individual of Terebralia palustris, family Potamididae
A beachworn shell of Maoricolpus roseus, family Turritellidae. Most of the body whorl has been broken off in this specimen, possibly by a predator such as a crab.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: incertae sedis
Superfamily: Cerithioidea
Fleming, 1822
Diversity2
1092–1164 extant species

about 200 extant genera
17 extant families

The Cerithioidea is a superfamily of marine, brackish water and freshwater gastropod containing more than 200 genera. The Cerithioidea are included unassigned in the subclass Caenogastropoda. The original name of this superfamily was Cerithiacea, in keeping with common superfamily endings at the time.

Morphology

Many cerithioids, as well as some former cerithioids now assigned to other superfamilies, have a "cerithiform" shell. This is a high-spired and regularly coiled shell with a small aperture and a well-developed anterior canal/sinus/notch. There are often strong spiral rows of knobs and tubercles, or axial ridges.3

Some families have different shell morphologies. Planaxidae have a lower spire than typical cerithioids. Siliquariidae are uncoiled/irregularly coiled. Turritellidae lack the well-developed anterior canal.3

Internally, cerithioids share a number of features, though some are also present in other superfamilies. These are a complex midgut, open pallial gonoducts, aphallate males (i.e. lacking the male copulatory organ), glandular ovipositors and epiathroid/dialyneurous nervous systems.4

Ecology

Cerithioidea is a very diverse superfamily. Its species can be found worldwide mainly in tropic and subtropic seas on rocky intertidal shores, seagrass beds and algal fronds, but also in estuarine and freshwater habitats. The freshwater species are found on all continents, except Antarctica. They are dominant members of mangrove forests, estuarine mudflats, fast-flowing rivers and placid lakes.5

Fossil record

Their fossil record of this superfamily can be traced back as far as the early Triassic16 but they began radiating mainly during the Cretaceous.7

Taxonomy

The Cerithioidea are presumed to be monophyletic (one lineage).8 However the phylogenetic relationships between its families are still under investigation because mitochondrial recombinant DNA sequences failed to resolve these questions.

2005 taxonomy

According to the Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005),9 the following families are included in Cerithioidea:

(Extinct taxa indicated by a dagger, †.)

It is possible that a further detailed examination may show that the polyphyletic families Melanopsidae and Pleuroceridae are one family. There is also a close phylogenetic relationship between the families Modulidae and Potamididae and between the families Cerithiidae and Litiopidae.

2006 taxonomy

Bandel (2006)1 made numerous changes in Cerithioidea. He classified superfamily Cerithioidea in the clade Cerithimorpha.1

Changes include:

superfamily Cerithioidea

  • family Bittiidae Cossmann, 1906 - consider Bittiidae in its own family level. It was as subfamily Bittiinae within Cerithiidae by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005.
  • family † Maturifusidae - moved to Cerithioidea from Hypsogastropoda
  • family † Canterburyellidae - moved to Cerithioidea from unallocated Sorbeoconcha
  • family † Prisciphoridae - moved to Cerithioidea from unallocated Sorbeoconcha
  • family † Zardinellopsidae Bandel, 2006 - new family
  • family Pachymelaniidae - considered as valid family. It was as synonym of Thiaridae.
  • some Pyrguliferidae members (a synonym) are in Paludomidae and some are in Paramelaniidae (instead of Thiaridae)
  • family Paramelaniidae at family level (instead of a synonym of Paludomidae)
  • and some moves to other taxa

2009 taxonomy

2017 Taxonomy

In the updated taxonomy by Bouchet et al. (2017)are listed below:1112

Unassigned:

The following two extinct families were moved out:

References

References

  1. Bandel K. (2006). "Families of the Cerithioidea and related superfamilies (Palaeo-Caenogastropoda; Mollusca) from the Triassic to the Recent characterized by protoconch morphology - including the description of new taxa". Freiberger Forschungshefte C 511: 59–138. PDF.
  2. Strong, E. E.; Colgan, D. J.; Healy, J. M.; Lydeard, C.; Ponder, W. F.; Glaubrecht, M. (2011). "Phylogeny of the gastropod superfamily Cerithioidea using morphology and molecules". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 162: 43–89. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2010.00670.x.
  3. Sälgeback, Jenny; Savazzi, Enrico (2006). "Constructional morphology of cerithiform gastropods". Paleontological Research. 10 (3): 233–259. doi:10.2517/prpsj.10.233. ISSN 1342-8144.
  4. Strong, Ellen E.; Colgan, Donald J.; Healy, John M.; Lydeard, Charles; Ponder, Winston F.; Glaubrecht, Matthias (2011). "Phylogeny of the gastropod superfamily Cerithioidea using morphology and molecules". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 162 (1): 43–89. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2010.00670.x.
  5. Healy J. M. & Wells F. E. (). Mollusca, The Southern Syntthesis. Fauna of Australia. Melbourne, CSIRO publishing. 707 pp.
  6. Tracey S., Todd J. A. & Erwin D. H. (1993). The Fossil Record. London, Chapman & Hall. pages 131–167.
  7. Houbrick R. S. (1988). "Prosobranch Phylogeny". Malacological Review, Supplement 4: 88–128.
  8. Colgan, D. J.; Ponder, W. F.; Eggler, P. E. (2000). "Gastropod evolutionary rates and phylogenetic relationships assessed using partial 28S rDNA and histone H3 sequences". Zoologica Scripta. 29: 29–63. doi:10.1046/j.1463-6409.2000.00021.x. S2CID 84342267.
  9. Bouchet, Philippe; Rocroi, Jean-Pierre; Frýda, Jiri; Hausdorf, Bernard; Ponder, Winston; Valdés, Ángel & Warén, Anders (2005). "Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families". Malacologia. 47 (1–2). Hackenheim, Germany: ConchBooks: 1–397. ISBN 3-925919-72-4. ISSN 0076-2997.
  10. Strong, E. E.; Köhler, F. (2009). "Morphological and molecular analysis of 'Melania' jacquetiDautzenberg and Fischer, 1906: From anonymous orphan to critical basal offshoot of the Semisulcospiridae (Gastropoda: Cerithioidea)". Zoologica Scripta. 38 (5): 483. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2008.00385.x. S2CID 86163594.
  11. Bouchet, P.; Rocroi, J.P.; Hausdorf, B.; Kaim, A.; Kano, Y.; Nützel, A.; Parkhaev, P.; Schrödl, M.; Strong, E.E. (2017). "Revised classification, nomenclator and typification of gastropod and monoplacophoran families". Malacologia. 61 (1–2): 1–526. doi:10.4002/040.061.0201. S2CID 91051256.
  12. Bank R, Bouchet P, Gofas S (2017-07-15). Bieler R, Bouchet P, Gofas S, Marshall B, Rosenberg G, La Perna R, Neubauer TA, Sartori AF, Schneider S, Vos C, ter Poorten JJ, Taylor J, Dijkstra H, Finn J, Bank R, Neubert E, Moretzsohn F, Faber M, Houart R, Picton B, Garcia-Alvarez O (eds.). "Cerithioidea J. Fleming, 1822". MolluscaBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
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