Ficidae

Ficidae
Ficus gracilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Orthogastropoda
Superorder:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Sorbeoconcha
Suborder:	Hypsogastropoda
Infraorder:	Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:	Ficoidea
Family:	Ficidae Meek, 1864 (1840)
Genera
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.

Shell 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

• "Ficidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
• Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1