Belongs within: Cerithiimorpha.
Cerithium is a genus of high-spired marine gastropods found in tropical and subtropical waters with the highest diversity in the Indo-Pacific. This genus has been conflated in the past with a number of superficially similar taxa, some belonging to quite different families. Cerithium species are algal-detritus feeders, mostly grazing on diatoms and other microalgae.
Characteristics (from Houbrick 1992): Shell many whorled, turreted, ranging from ovate to fusiform elongate, and sculptured with variously placed varices, axial ribs, and spiral cords ornamented with beads and nodes. Aperture ovate with crenulated outer lip,distinct anal canal and moderately extended, constricted, slightly reflected anterior siphonal canal. Operculum corneous, ovate, and paucispiral with eccentric nucleus. Mantle edge bilobed with small papillae arising from inner lobe. Propodial mucus gland present; in females, ciliated egg-laying groove on right side of foot. Osphradium elongate, narrow, bipectinate, comprised of tiny leaflets. Hypobranchial gland well developed. Radula taenioglossate. Salivary glands pass through nerve ring; esophageal gland present. Stomach large, with style sac, crystalline style and gastric shield. Nervous system epiathroid. Pallial gonoducts open; pallial oviduct with large spermatophore bursa and small posterior seminal receptacle in medial lamina; anterior seminal receptacle sometimes in lateral lamina. Sperm dimorphic, transferred by spermatophores. Egg mass consisting of gelatinous strings.
<==Cerithium Bruguière 1789DK08 (see below for synonymy) |--C. nodulosum Bruguière 1789W93 (see below for synonymy) |--C. abbreviatum Leckenby 1858F27b |--C. adustumEO64 |--C. alboliratumC64 |--C. album Hombron & Jacquinot 1853H09 |--C. alveolus Hombron & Jacquinot 1854BW09 |--C. apheles Tenison-Woods 1878F71 |--C. articulatum Adams & Reeve 1850H09 |--C. asperum Pease 1861K65 |--C. atratum (Born 1778) [incl. C. floridanum f. cruzana Usticke 1959]BC01 |--C. atromarginatum Dautzenberg & Bouge 1933BW09 |--C. balteatum Philippi 1848H09 |--C. bicanaliferum Brazier 1877H09 |--C. boeticum Pease 1861 [=Bittium boeticum]K65 |--C. calabrumN79 |--C. calculosum Defrance in Basterot 1825GK02 |--C. caudatumG79 |--C. citrinum Sowerby 1855BW09 |--C. coarctatum Sowerby 1866H09 |--C. columna Sowerby 1834W93 |--C. conicum Blainv. 1826 [incl. C. mamillatum]S01 |--C. contractum Sowerby 1855H09 |--C. coralium Kiener 1841W93 |--C. cribarioides Tenison-Woods 1878F71 |--C. (Aluco) cumingi Adams 1855WG71 |--C. (Fibula) detectum Stoliczka 1867S98 |--C. dialeucum Philippi 1849W93 |--C. eburneum (Bruguière 1792)IZ77 |--C. echinatum Lamarck 1822BW09 |--C. egenum Gould 1849BW09 |--C. eusmilia Tenison-Woods 1879F71 |--C. eximium Sowerby 1855H09 |--C. fasciatum Bruguière 1792WG71 |--C. filosum Phil. 1848C64 |--C. fragaria Valenciennes 1833C64 |--C. fucatum Pease 1861K65 |--C. fusiforme Sowerby 1855H09 |--C. gibberulum [incl. C. columellare]G79 |--C. gracile Pease 1861K65 |--C. gracilentum Mighels 1845J49 |--C. graciliforme Sowerby 1865H09 |--C. granosum Kiener 1842H09 |--‘Bittium’ hiloense Pilsbry & Vanatta 1908 [=B. (*Bittinella) hiloense]H77 |--C. inaequicostatum Wilckens 1922 (n. d.)F27a |--C. interruptum [incl. C. gallapaginis]C64 |--C. interstriatum Sowerby 1855W93 |--C. irroratum [incl. C. obesum]C64 |--C. kochi Philippi 1848H09 |--C. lachensis [=Campanile lachensis]G92 |--C. laciniosum Mighels 1845J49 |--C. lifuense Melvill & Standen 1895BW09 |--C. lutosum Menke 1828 [incl. Thericium biminiense Pilsbry & McGinty 1949, C. variabile var. calcarea Usticke 1959]BC01 |--C. maculosum Mighels 1845C64, J49 [incl. C. mediolaeveC64] |--C. mitraeforme Sowerby 1855H09 |--C. moniliferumM01 |--C. munitum Sowerby 1855BW09 |--C. musica Valenciennes 1833C64 |--C. nesioticum Pilsbry & Vanatta 1906W93 (see below for synonymy) |--C. nigrobalteatum Smith 1884H09 |--C. nodosumH86 |--C. novaehiberniae Sowerby 1855H09 |--C. novaehollandiae Adams in Sowerby 1855W93 |--C. ocellatumC64 |--C. pacificum Houbrick 1992W93 |--C. paxillum Pease 1861K65 |--C. petrosum Wood 1828H09 |--C. phoxum Watson 1880W93 |--C. piperitum Sowerby 1855H09 |--C. pritchardi Harris 1897 [=Potamides semicostatum Tate 1885 (preoc.)]F27b |--C. punctatum Bruguière 1792W93 |--C. rostratum Sowerby 1855 [=*Ischnocerithium rostratum]W93 |--C. rubus (Martyn 1784) [=Clava rubus]H09 |--C. rupestrePP64 |--C. salebrosum Sowerby 1855BW09 |--C. salteriana Tenison-Woods 1879F71 |--C. scabridum Philippi 1849BD86 |--C. shoplandi Melville 1901M01 |--C. stercusmuscarumC64 |--C. taeniatum Sowerby 1865H09 |--C. tenellum Sowerby 1855 [incl. C. mysterium Hedley 1917, C. tomlini Hedley 1914]W93 |--C. tessellatum Sowerby 1855H09 |--C. torresi Smith 1884BW09 |--C. trailli (Sowerby 1855)BW09 |--C. turritum Sowerby 1855H09 |--C. uncinatumC64 |--C. unilineatum Pease 1861 [=Bittium boeticum unilineatum]K65 |--C. varicosum [=Cerithidea varicosa]C64 |--C. variegatum Quoy & Gaimard 1834H09 |--C. vulgatumPP64 |--C. wilya Darragh & Kendrick 2008DK08 `--C. zonatum (Wood 1828) [incl. C. lemniscatum Quoy & Gaimard 1834, C. probleema Iredale 1929]W93
Cerithium Bruguière 1789DK08 [incl. Bittinella Dall 1924H77, Contumax Hedley 1899W93, Ischnocerithium Thiele 1929W93, Ptychocerithium Sacco 1895DK08]
Cerithium nesioticum Pilsbry & Vanatta 1906W93 [=Semivertagus nesioticusBD86; incl. C. collacteum Iredale 1929W93, C. lacteum Kiener 1841 non Philippi 1836BD86, Liocerithium lacteumBD86, C. spiculum Hedley 1899W93]
Cerithium nodulosum Bruguière 1789W93 [incl. *Ce. adansonii Bruguière 1792DK08, *Contumax decollatus Hedley 1899W93, Ce. erythraeonense Lamarck 1822DK08, Co. hedleyi Viader 1951L96]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
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