Ficidae

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Spiralia
Cladus: Lophotrochozoa
Phylum: Mollusca
Classis: Gastropoda
Subclassis: Caenogastropoda
Ordo: Littorinimorpha
Superfamilia: Ficoidea

Familia: Ficidae
Genera (1 + 3†): Ficus – †Perissolax – †Priscoficus – †Urosyca
Name

Ficidae Meek, 1864 (1840)
Synonyms

Ficulidae Carpenter, 1857
Pyrulidae Swainson, 1840
Sycotypidae Gray, 1853

References
Links

Ficidae in the World Register of Marine Species

Ficidae, common name the fig shells are a family of medium to large marine gastropods. It is the only family in the superfamily Ficoidea.

According to taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) the family Ficidae has no subfamilies.

The shells of these snails are shaped rather like figs or pears, hence the common name.

The Ficidae were previously included in the Tonnaceae (now Tonnoidea) along with the Tonnidae and Cassididae.[1][2]

Distribution

The family is found worldwide, mostly in tropical and subtropical silt and mud covered neritic zones.
Shell description

The shells of species in the Ficidae 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

Genera within the family Ficidae include:

Ficus Röding, 1798[3]
† Austroficopsis Stilwell & Zinsmeister, 1992[4]
† Ficopsis Conrad, 1866[5]
† Fusoficula[6]
† Gonysycon[7]
Thalassocyon Barnard, 1960[8]

Genera brought into synonymy

Ficula Swainson, 1835 : synonym of Ficus Röding, 1798
Pirula Montfort, 1810 : synonym of Ficus Röding, 1798
Pyrula Lamarck, 1799 : synonym of Ficus Röding, 1798
Sycotypus Gray, 1847 : synonym of Ficus Röding, 1798

References

Keen, A.Myra 1958; Sea Shells of Tropical West America, Stanford University Press.
Moore, Lalicker, and Fischer 1952; Invertebrate Fossils, McGraw-Hill Book.
WoRMS (2009). Ficus Röding, 1798. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=205605 on 2010-05-20
"Austroficopsis". The Paleobiology Database, accessed 20 May 2010.
"Ficopsis". The Paleobiology Database, accessed 20 May 2010.
"Fusoficula". The Paleobiology Database, accessed 20 May 2010.
"Gonysycon". The Paleobiology Database, accessed 20 May 2010.

WoRMS (2010). Thalassocyon Barnard, 1960. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=447827 on 2010-05-20