Cyphoma

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Cyphoma
Living Cyphoma gibbosum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Orthogastropoda
Superorder: Caenogastropoda
Order: Sorbeoconcha
Suborder: Hypsogastropoda
Infraorder: Littorinimorpha
Superfamily: Cypraeoidea
Family: Ovulidae
Genus: Cyphoma
Roding, 1798
Species

See text.

Cyphoma is a genus of tropical sea snails, a taxonomic group of marine gastropod molluscs in the family Ovulidae, which are sometimes known as the false cowries or cowry allies.

Contents

[edit] Distribution

Cyphoma snails live in tropical waters.

[edit] Habitat

Species in this genus live on sea whips and sea fans.

[edit] Life habits

Cyphoma snails eat by browsing on the sea fans or sea whips which they inhabit.

The males can be territorial, defending part of the sea fan from encroachment by other males.

[edit] Species

  • Cyphoma alleneae Cate, 1973
  • Cyphoma aureocinctum (Dall, 1889) - gold-line cyphoma
  • Cyphoma emarginatum (Sowerby, 1830)
  • Cyphoma gibbosum (Linnaeus, 1758) - flamingo tongue snail
  • Cyphoma intermedium (Sowerby, 1828)
  • Cyphoma lindae Petuch, 1987
  • Cyphoma mcgintyi Pilsbry, 1939
  • Cyphoma rhomba Cate, 1978 - bullroarer cyphoma
  • Cyphoma sedlaki Cate, 1976
  • Cyphoma signatum Pilsbry and McGinty, 1939 - fingerprint cyphoma

[edit] References