Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 11, 2026

Seraphsidae

Seraphsidae is a family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Stromboidea. Only one genus, Terebellum, is alive today, but several fossil genera are known, with the earliest records of the family dating back to the Danian age of the Paleocene. Seraphsids are adapted for a burrowing life, with a streamlined shell. Terebellum and its fossil relatives were originally classified as members of the closely related family Strombidae. When they were recognized as a separate family, the family was initially called Terebellidae, but as the name was already in use for a family of polychaete worms, the name Seraphsidae was proposed as a replacement, derived from the fossil genus Seraphs.

Last revised
Jul 11, 2026
Read time
≈ 3 min
Length
616 w
Citations
8
Source
Seraphsidae
Temporal range:
Shell of Terebellum terebellum, a member of the family Seraphsidae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Superfamily: Stromboidea
Family: Seraphsidae
J. E. Gray, 1853
Type genus
Seraphs
Montfort, 1810
Synonyms
  • Terebellidae (Homonym of Terebellidae Grube, 1850 based on Terebella Linnaeus, 1767 [Annelida])
  • Seraphidae (Orthographic variant, misspelling, per IRMNG, based on Seraphs [in French: Seraphe] Montfort, 1810; from Seraphina Gray, 1853 [Strombidae])1

Seraphsidae is a family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Stromboidea.23 Only one genus, Terebellum, is alive today, but several fossil genera are known, with the earliest records of the family dating back to the Danian age of the Paleocene.4 Seraphsids are adapted for a burrowing life, with a streamlined shell.56 Terebellum and its fossil relatives were originally classified as members of the closely related family Strombidae. When they were recognized as a separate family, the family was initially called Terebellidae, but as the name was already in use for a family of polychaete worms, the name Seraphsidae was proposed as a replacement, derived from the fossil genus Seraphs.6

Genera

There is one extant genus within the family Seraphsidae:

All other Seraphsidae genera are known only from the fossil record:7

  • Diameza Deshayes, 1865
  • Mauryna de Gregorio, 1880
  • Miniseraphs Jung,1974
  • Paraseraphs Jung, 1974
  • Pseudoterebellum Maxwell, Rymer & Congdon, 2021
  • Seraphs Montfort, 1810

Synonyms for Terebellum

  • Artopoia Gistel, 1848: synonym of Terebellum Bruguière, 1798 (invalid: unnecessary substitute name for Terebellum)
  • Lucis Gistel, 1848: synonym of Terebellum Bruguière, 1798
  • Terebrina Rafinesque, 1815: synonym of Terebellum Bruguière, 1798
References

References

  1. "Seraphsidae Gray, 1853". WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species.
  2. Bouchet, P. & Rocroi, J.-P. (2005). "Classification and Nomenclator of Gastropod Families". Malacologia. 47 (1–2).
  3. Maxwell, Stephen J.; Rymer, Tasmin L.; Congdon, Bradley C. (22 June 2021). "Resolving phylogenetic and classical nomenclature: A revision of Seraphsidae Jung, 1974 (Gastropoda: Neostromboidae)". Zootaxa. 4990 (3): 401–453. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4990.3.1. PMID 34186750. S2CID 235686526.
  4. Abbott, Donald P. (1962-07-01). "Observations on the gastropod Terebellum terebellum (Linnaeus), with particular reference to the behavior of the eyes during burrowing". The Veliger. 5 (1): 1–3.
  5. Jung, Peter (1974-11-25). "A revision of the family Seraphsidae (Gastropoda: Strombacea)". Palaeontographica Americana. 8 (47): 1–72.
  6. "Taxon Details: Seraphsidae Gray, 1853". IRMNG – Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera.
Further reading

Further reading