Xenophora Explained

Xenophora, commonly called carrier shells, is a genus of medium-sized to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Xenophoridae, the carrier snails or carrier shells.^[1] The genus Xenophora is the type genus of the family Xenophoridae.

Etymology

The name Xenophora comes from two ancient Greek words, and means "bearing foreigners", so-called because in most species the snail cements pieces of rock or shells to its own shell at regular intervals as the shell grows.^[2]

Description

The shells of species within this genus vary from small to large (diameter of base without attachments 19–90 mm; height of shell 21–60 mm), depressed-conical, with narrow to very narrow, simple peripheral edge, non-porcellanous ventrally. Foreign objects are attached to all whorls, with generally more than 30% of dorsal surface obscured by these objects. The foreign objects are usually medium-sized to large.^[3] Although the foreign objects are usually mollusk shells, pebbles, or small pieces of coral rock, in some instances a bottle cap has been attached by the snail to its shell.

Species

The genus Xenophora includes the following species and subspecies:^{[3] [4] [5]}

• Xenophora minuta Qi & Ma, 1986
• Xenophora robusta Verrill, 1870

Subgenus Xenophora (Austrophora) Kreipl, Alf & Kronenberg, 1999

• Xenophora flindersi (Cotton & Godfrey, 1938)

Subgenus Xenophora (Xenophora) Fischer von Waldheim, 1807

• Xenophora cerea (Reeve, 1845)
• Xenophora chinensis Philippi, 1841)
• Xenophora conchyliophora (Born, 1780) - American carriersnail (type species of Xenophora)
• Xenophora corrugata (Reeve, 1842)
• Xenophora crispa (König, 1825)
• Xenophora granulosa Ponder, 1983
• Xenophora japonica Kuroda & Habe in Kuroda et al., 1971
• Xenophora konoi Habe, 1953
• Xenophora mekranensis (Newton, 1905)
• Xenophora neozelanica Suter, 1908 - New Zealand carriershell
  • Xenophora neozelandica neozelandica Suter, 1908
  • Xenophora neozelandica kermadecensis Ponder, 1983
• Xenophora pallidula (Reeve, 1842) - pallid carrier shell
• Xenophora peroniana (Iredale, 1929)
  • Xenophora peroniana peroniana (Iredale, 1929)
  • Xenophora peroniana kondoi Ponder 1983
• Xenophora senegalensis Fischer, 1873
• Xenophora sinensis Qi & Li, 1986
• Xenophora solarioides (Reeve, 1845)
• Xenophora tenuis Fulton, 1938

Species brought into synonymy:

• Subgenus Xenophora (Stellaria) Möller, 1832: synonym of Stellaria Möller, 1832
• Xenophora (Stellaria) testigera (Bronn, 1831): synonym of Stellaria testigera (Bronn, 1831)
• Xenophora australis Souverbie & Montrouzier, 1870: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) solarioides (Reeve, 1845)
• Xenophora calculifera (Reeve, 1843): synonym of Stellaria chinensis (Philippi, 1841)
• Xenophora caperata sensu Petit de la Saussaye, 1857: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) senegalensis Fischer, 1873
• Xenophora caribaea Petit de la Saussaye, 1857 - Caribbean carriersnail: synonym of Onustus caribaeus (Petit de la Saussaye, 1857)
• Xenophora cavelieri Rochebrune, 1883: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) senegalensis Fischer, 1873
• Xenophora digitata Martens, 1878: synonym of Stellaria testigera digitata Martens, 1878
• Xenophora gigantea (Schepman, 1909): synonym of Stellaria gigantea (Schepman, 1909)
• Xenophora helvacea Philippi, 1851: synonym of Onustus indicus (Gmelin, 1791)
• Xenophora indica (Gmelin, 1791): synonym of Onustus indicus (Gmelin, 1791)
• Xenophora japonica Kuroda & Habe, 1971: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) japonica Kuroda & Habe, 1971
• Xenophora konoi Habe, 1953: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) mekranensis konoi Habe, 1953
• Xenophora laevigata Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora (Born, 1780)
• Xenophora lamberti Souverbie, 1871: synonym of Stellaria lamberti (Souverbie, 1871)
• Xenophora longleyi Bartsch, 1931 - shingled carriersnail: synonym of Onustus longleyi Bartsch, 1931
• Xenophora meandrina Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora (Born, 1780)
• Xenophora mediterranea Tiberi, 1863: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) crispa (König, 1825)
• Xenophora neozelanica Suter, 1908: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) neozelanica neozelanica Suter, 1908
• Xenophora regularis Habe & Okutani, 1983 : synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) granulosa Ponder, 1983
• Xenophora tenuis Hirase, 1934: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) tenuis Fulton, 1983
• Xenophora torrida Kuroda & Ito, 1961 : synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) cerea (Reeve, 1845)
• Xenophora tricostata Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora (Born, 1780)
• Xenophora tulearensis Stewart & Kosuge, 1993: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) corrugata (Reeve, 1842)
• Xenophora vulcanica Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora (Born, 1780)
• Xenophora wagneri Philippi, 1855: synonym of Onustus indicus (Gmelin, 1791)

Extinct species

Extinct species within this genus include:^[6]

• †Xenophora carditigera Nielsen and DeVries 2002
• †Xenophora cummulans Brongniart 1823
• †Xenophora delecta Guppy 1876
• †Xenophora deshayesi Michelotti 1847
• †Xenophora eocenica Abbass 1967
• †Xenophora floridana Mansfield 1930
• †Xenophora infundibulum (Brocchi, 1814)^[7]
• †Xenophora palaeoafra Gliozzi and Malatesta 1983
• †Xenophora paulinae Nielsen and DeVries 2002
• †Xenophora rugata Abbass 1967
• †Xenophora tatei Harris 1897
• †Xenophora terpstrai Dey 1961
• †Xenophora textilina Dall 1892

Fossil record

Fossils of Xenophora are found in marine strata from the Cretaceous to Quaternary (age range: from 89.3 to 0.012 million years ago.). Fossils are known all over the world.^{[6] [8]}

See also

• Images of a live Xenophora conchyliophora, photographed in situ underwater by Anne DuPont

References

• Kreipl K. & Alf A. (1999). Recent Xenophoridae. Conchbooks, Hackenheim > Germany. 148pp.

External links

• Ladd, H.S. (1977). Cenozoic fossil mollusks from western Pacific islands; Gastropods (Eratoidae through Harpidae). U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper. 533: i–iv, 1–84, pls 1–23
• Ponder W.F. (1983). A revision of the Recent Xenophoridae of the World and of the Australian Fossil Species (Mollusca : Gastropoda). Memoir 17. The Australian Museum Sydney, Australia

Notes and References

1. WoRMS (2012). Xenophora. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138664 on 2012-06-28
2. Xenophora.org website http://www.xenophora.org/en/xeno/xeno_accueil.php accessed 24 April 2014
3. Kreipl, K. & Alf, A. (1999): Recent Xenophoridae. 148 pp. incl. 28 color plts. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, .
4. [Arthur William Baden Powell|Powell A. W. B.]
5. http://clade.ansp.org/obis/search.php/8259 OBIS Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database
6. http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=10685 Paleobiology Database
7. http://www.stromboidea.de/?n=Species.XenophoraInfundibulum Stromboidea
8. G. Manganelli, V. Spadini, S. Cianfanelli The xenophorid gastropods of the Mediterranean Pliocene: the record of the Siena Basin