Naticidae

Naticidae, common name moon snails or necklace shells, is a family of medium to large-sized predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha. The shells of the species in this family are mostly globular in shape.

Naticidae is the only family in the superfamily Naticoidea.

It has been estimated that worldwide there are about 260–270 recent species of naticid snails. This group is assumed to have originated in the late Triassic or in the early Jurassic. Members of this family can be recognized by the shape of their shells, distinct appearance, or by their predatory behavior.

Distribution
Naticids are widely distributed and occur worldwide and are considered to be a delicate part the web of nature amongst many others. The greatest diversity of both species and genera is found in tropical regions. Even so, naticid snails are also plentiful in temperate, Arctic and Antarctic waters.

Habitat
Moon snails live on sandy substrates, at a great variety of depths depending on the species (from the intertidal zone to thousands of meters in depth). They are often seen ploughing along in the sand, searching for bivalvic and other prey, resulting in countersunk bore-holes.

Life habits
Naticids are predatory, feeding mostly on bivalves. They will also attack almost any other shelled mollusk they encounter in the sand, such as scaphopods and other gastropods, including other moon snails. Additionally, Conuber sordidum was shown to prey on the soldier crab Mictyris longicarpus (Crustacea) by drilling predation. To catch soldier crabs, C. sordidum uses the same behaviour as when hunting shelled molluscan prey.

The moon snail envelops the prey and then bores a hole through the shell using its radula and an acid secretion. Once the shell is bored open, the proboscis is used to consume the flesh of the prey. The hole in the shell, which has a "countersunk" appearance with chamfered edges, and which varies in size according to the species, is a characteristic diagnostic sign of moon snail predation.

In the breeding season, the female moon snail lays a rather stiff egg mass which includes sand and mucus. These objects wash up on sandy beaches fairly often, and are known by the common name "sand collars" because of their resemblance to an old-fashioned removable shirt collar or false-collar.

Human Interaction
In Korean cuisine, moon snails are called golbaengi (골뱅이) and eaten as golbaengi-muchim (moon snail salad).

Moon snail shells are attractive and relatively large, and often popular in jewellery and ornamentation.

Traditional classification
Some authors have suggested a distinct separation of the Naticidae into four subfamilies: Ampullospirinae, Naticinae, Polinicinae and Sininae. This arrangement is mainly based on morphological data, such as details of the operculum including the material (calcareous in the Naticinae, corneous in the Polinicinae and Sininae) and size, and also the morphology of the shell.

2005 taxonomy
The following four subfamilies were recognized in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005):


 * Naticinae Guilding, 1834 - synonyms: Neveritinae Gray, 1857; Choristidae Verrill, 1882; Euspiridae Cossmann, 1907; Mammillinae Iredale & McMichael, 1962; Eunaticinini Oyama, 1469
 * Sininae Woodring, 1928 - synonyms: Sigaretidae Gary, 1827; Cryptostomidae Gray, 1827
 * Globisininae Powell, 1933
 * Polinicinae Gray, 1847

General
General in the family Naticidae include:

Unassigned to a subfamily:
 * Haliotinella Souverbie, 1875
 * Microlinices Simone, 2014

subfamily Naticinae
 * Cochlis Röding, 1798
 * Cryptonatica Dall, 1892
 * Lunaia Berry, 1964 : synonym of Natica Scopoli, 1777
 * Natica Scopoli, 1777
 * Naticarius Duméril, 1806
 * Notocochlis Powell, 1933
 * Paratectonatica Azuma, 1961
 * Proxiuber Powell, 1933
 * Stigmaulax Mörch, 1852
 * Tanea Marwick, 1931
 * † Taniella Finlay & Marwick, 1937
 * Tasmatica Finlay & Marwick, 1937
 * Tectonatica Sacco, 1890

subfamily Globisininae
 * Falsilunatia Powell, 1951
 * Globisinum Marwick, 1924

subfamily Polinicinae Gray, 1847
 * Amauropsis Mörch, 1857
 * Bulbus Brown, 1839
 * Conuber Finlay & Marwick, 1937
 * Euspira Agassiz in Sowerby, 1838
 * Friginatica Hedley, 1916
 * Glossaulax Pilsbry, 1929
 * Hypterita Woodring, 1957
 * Kerguelenatica Powell, 1951
 * Laguncula Benson, 1842
 * Lunatia Gray, 1847
 * Mammilla Schumacher, 1817
 * Neverita Risso, 1826 - its subgenus or synonym includes Glossaulax Pilsbry, 1929
 * Polinices Montfort, 1810
 * Pseudopolinices Golikov & Sirenko, 1983
 * Sinuber Powell, 1951
 * Uberella Finlay, 1928

subfamily Sininae
 * Calinaticina J. Q. Burch & Campbell, 1963
 * Eunaticina Fischer, 1885
 * Gennaeosinum Iredale, 1929
 * Payraudeautia Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1883
 * Sigatica Meyer and Aldrich, 1886
 * Sinum Röding, 1798

subfamily ?
 * Acrybia Adams, 1853: synonym of Bulbus T. Brown, 1839
 * Gyrodes Conrad, 1860
 * Spironema Meek, 1864