Auger Shells of the Terebridae Family

 Five Auger Shells of the Terebridae Family can be found in this website:

Phylogeny: Auger Shells of the Terebridae Family (Mӧrch, 1852), are gastropod mollusks in the order Neogastropoda. Neogastropods are characterized by having a long siphonal canal, a well developed siphonal notch,  and a specialized radula. Many species in this Order have a narrow aperture. Neogastropods are primarily marine snails and most of the well-known shell families are in this order. The Terebridae Family is one of seventeen families in the superfamily Conoidea. Conoideans include venomous shells such as cone shells and turrid shells. The Terebridae Family consists of five hundred and eight-nine species in nineteen genera that have been placed in three subfamilies – the Pellifroniinae (that has two genera and six species), the Pervicaciinae (that has two genera and ninety-one species) and the Terebrinae (that has fifteen genera and four hundred and ninety-two species). These shells are also commonly called Terebras or Terebrids.

Description: Auger Shells are elongated shells with a very high, many  whorled, spire and a small body whorl. They have external sculpting that consists of spiral and/or length-wise ridges, or knobs. The outer lip of the aperture is smooth and sturdy, but thin. The interior lip may be marked with folds. Some species have a fairly polished exterior surface. Tropical species may be brightly colored and are not covered with a periostracum. Auger Shells can range in size from small to large.  Auger Shells are similar in shape, and easily confused, with the Tower or Turret Shells of the Turritellidae Family. Auger Shells have a more irregular shaped aperture that always descends to a siphon canal or notch. Also, the whorls of Auger Shells are more convex than the flat-sided whorls of the Tower Shells.

Habitat and Distribution: Augers are usually found just under the surface of sand or muddy sandy substrates. They live in the intertidal zone, and at depths up to 300 m (1,000 feet). They are found globally in all tropical and subtropical seas. More than 30  members of the Terebridae Family are found along the coastlines of Mexico.

Natural History: Augers are carnivores that prey on polychaetes, and other worms, utilizing a barbed radular tooth that injects paralyzing venom into their prey. In turn Auger Shells are preyed upon by crabs, fish, and predatory mollusks. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually, with internal fertilization. Their eggs are laid in corneous capsules. Larger species have been harvested as a food source throughout human history, and the shells were sometimes used as dagger-like weapons. Now most of the family members are collected by shell collectors for their beautiful shells.