Cerith Shells of the Cerithiidae Family
Three Cerith Shells of the Cerithiidae Family can be found in this website:
Phylogeny: Cerith Shells of the Cerithiidae Family are gastropod mollusks in the order Caenogastropoda incertae sedis. (incertae sedis is Latin for uncertain seating, meaning they are not sure where it goes). Their assignment to this order is considered temporary. Caenogastropods make up about 60% of the marine gastropod species. They are characterized by having a coiled shell, a single gill, an auricle in the heart, and a distinct radula (rasp-like tongue). There are five superfamilies and one family within this order. The Cerithiidae Family is one of twenty families in the superfamily Cerithioidea. The Cerithiidae Family is divided into two subfamilies – Bittiinae with fifteen genera and one hundred twelve species, and Cerithiinae with thirteen genera and one hundred twenty-seven species. Shells in this family are commonly referred to as Cerithiids or Ceriths.
Description: Cerith Shells are solid, small to medium-sized, and sharply conical. Their many-whorled spire is sharp and usually longer than the body whorl. The whorls may be flat-sided, convex, or concave. Surface sculpting is spiral, in the form of ridges or beads, along with axial ribs or varices. Sometimes the sculpting carries into the outer lip of the aperture. They have a relatively small aperture and an open anterior canal that is often curved. One or both lips may be flared, and the outer lip is sometimes crenulated. Live specimens have an ovate, corneous (horn-like), operculum. These shells lack a periostracum. Most of these shells are whitish with varying amounts of brown, gray, or tan speckling or blotching. Many Cerith Shells in the Bittiinae subfamily are very small, with some reaching a maximum length of only 0.3 cm (0.1 inch). One species in the Cerithiinae subfamily reaches 15 cm (5.8 inches) in length. Cerith Shells look similar to Horn Shells of the Potamididae Family. They differ by having an aperture with a better-developed anterior notch and an ovate versus circular operculum.
Habitat and Distribution: Ceriths reside on algae, coral, rock, sand, mud and sea grasses in marine and estuarine environments Most Ceriths live in shallow water but a few species live in deep water, to depths exceeding 1,200 m (3,936 feet). Cerith Shells are found worldwide in subtropical to tropical seas. Fifty species are found in Mexican waters.
Natural History: Ceriths are gregarious herbivores and/or detritivores, which graze on small algae, bacteria, and organic debris. Species are often specialized to different sizes of food particles, and may be locally extremely abundant where the habitat is favorable. In turn they are preyed on by shorebirds, crabs and fish. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually with indirect internal fertilization. The male’s sperm is transferred during mating in spermatophores which disintegrate at the entrance to the mantle cavity of the female. The fertilized eggs are released on the substrate in gelatinous masses. Cerith Shells are edible, but because of their small sized, they must be collected in large quantities and are often combined with shells from other families. They are the target of artisanal fisheries.