Xenophora
Xenophora, commonly called carrier shells, is a genus of medium-sized to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Xenophoridae, the carrier snails or carrier shells.[2] The genus Xenophora is the type genus of the family Xenophoridae.
| Xenophora Temporal range:   | |
|---|---|
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| A ventral view of a shell of Xenophora pallidula, with attached gastropod shells | |
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| A lateral view of the same shell | |
| Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota | 
| Kingdom: | Animalia | 
| Phylum: | Mollusca | 
| Class: | Gastropoda | 
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda | 
| Order: | Littorinimorpha | 
| Family: | Xenophoridae | 
| Genus: | Xenophora Fischer von Waldheim, 1807[1]  | 
| Species | |
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 See text  | |
| Synonyms | |
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Etymology
    
The name Xenophora comes from two ancient Greek words, and means "bearing foreigners", so-called because in most species the snail cements pieces of rock or shells to its own shell at regular intervals as the shell grows.[3]
Description
    
The shells of species within this genus vary from small to large (diameter of base without attachments 19–90 mm; height of shell 21–60 mm), depressed-conical, with narrow to very narrow, simple peripheral edge, non-porcellanous ventrally. Foreign objects are attached to all whorls, with generally more than 30% of dorsal surface obscured by these objects. The foreign objects are usually medium-sized to large.[4] Although the foreign objects are usually mollusk shells, pebbles, or small pieces of coral rock, in some instances a bottle cap has been attached by the snail to its shell.
Species
    
The genus Xenophora includes the following species and subspecies:[4][5][6]
- Xenophora minuta Qi & Ma, 1986
 - Xenophora robusta Verrill, 1870
 
- Subgenus Xenophora (Austrophora) Kreipl, Alf & Kronenberg, 1999
 
- Xenophora flindersi (Cotton & Godfrey, 1938)
 
- Subgenus Xenophora (Xenophora) Fischer von Waldheim, 1807
 
- Xenophora cerea (Reeve, 1845)
 - Xenophora chinensis Philippi, 1841)
 - Xenophora conchyliophora (Born, 1780) - American carriersnail (type species of Xenophora)
 - Xenophora corrugata (Reeve, 1842)
 - Xenophora crispa (König, 1825)
 - Xenophora granulosa Ponder, 1983
 - Xenophora japonica Kuroda & Habe in Kuroda et al., 1971
 - Xenophora konoi Habe, 1953
 - Xenophora mekranensis (Newton, 1905)
 - Xenophora neozelanica Suter, 1908  - New Zealand carriershell
- Xenophora neozelandica neozelandica Suter, 1908
 - Xenophora neozelandica kermadecensis Ponder, 1983
 
 - Xenophora pallidula (Reeve, 1842) - pallid carrier shell
 - Xenophora peroniana  (Iredale, 1929) 
- Xenophora peroniana peroniana (Iredale, 1929)
 - Xenophora peroniana kondoi Ponder 1983
 
 - Xenophora senegalensis Fischer, 1873
 - Xenophora sinensis Qi & Li, 1986
 - Xenophora solarioides (Reeve, 1845)
 - Xenophora tenuis Fulton, 1938
 
- Species brought into synonymy
 
- Subgenus Xenophora (Stellaria) Möller, 1832: synonym of Stellaria Möller, 1832
 - Xenophora (Stellaria) testigera (Bronn, 1831): synonym of Stellaria testigera (Bronn, 1831)
 - Xenophora australis Souverbie & Montrouzier, 1870: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) solarioides (Reeve, 1845)
 - Xenophora calculifera (Reeve, 1843): synonym of Stellaria chinensis (Philippi, 1841)
 - Xenophora caperata sensu Petit de la Saussaye, 1857: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) senegalensis Fischer, 1873
 - Xenophora caribaea Petit de la Saussaye, 1857 - Caribbean carriersnail: synonym of Onustus caribaeus (Petit de la Saussaye, 1857)
 - Xenophora cavelieri Rochebrune, 1883: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) senegalensis Fischer, 1873
 - Xenophora digitata Martens, 1878: synonym of Stellaria testigera digitata Martens, 1878
 - Xenophora gigantea (Schepman, 1909): synonym of Stellaria gigantea (Schepman, 1909)
 - Xenophora helvacea Philippi, 1851: synonym of Onustus indicus (Gmelin, 1791)
 - Xenophora indica (Gmelin, 1791): synonym of Onustus indicus (Gmelin, 1791)
 - Xenophora japonica Kuroda & Habe, 1971: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) japonica Kuroda & Habe, 1971
 - Xenophora konoi Habe, 1953: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) mekranensis konoi Habe, 1953
 - Xenophora laevigata Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora (Born, 1780)
 - Xenophora lamberti Souverbie, 1871: synonym of Stellaria lamberti (Souverbie, 1871)
 - Xenophora longleyi Bartsch, 1931 - shingled carriersnail: synonym of Onustus longleyi Bartsch, 1931
 - Xenophora meandrina Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora (Born, 1780)
 - Xenophora mediterranea Tiberi, 1863: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) crispa (König, 1825)
 - Xenophora neozelanica Suter, 1908: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) neozelanica neozelanica Suter, 1908
 - Xenophora regularis Habe & Okutani, 1983 : synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) granulosa Ponder, 1983
 - Xenophora tenuis Hirase, 1934: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) tenuis Fulton, 1983
 - Xenophora torrida Kuroda & Ito, 1961 : synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) cerea (Reeve, 1845)
 - Xenophora tricostata Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora (Born, 1780)
 - Xenophora tulearensis Stewart & Kosuge, 1993: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) corrugata (Reeve, 1842)
 - Xenophora vulcanica Fischer von Waldheim, 1807: synonym of Xenophora (Xenophora) conchyliophora (Born, 1780)
 - Xenophora wagneri Philippi, 1855: synonym of Onustus indicus (Gmelin, 1791)
 
Extinct species
    

Extinct species within this genus include:[7]
- †Xenophora carditigera Nielsen and DeVries 2002
 - †Xenophora cummulans Brongniart 1823
 - †Xenophora delecta Guppy 1876
 - †Xenophora deshayesi Michelotti 1847
 - †Xenophora eocenica Abbass 1967
 - †Xenophora floridana Mansfield 1930
 - †Xenophora infundibulum (Brocchi, 1814)[8]
 - †Xenophora palaeoafra Gliozzi and Malatesta 1983
 - †Xenophora paulinae Nielsen and DeVries 2002
 - †Xenophora rugata Abbass 1967
 - †Xenophora tatei Harris 1897
 - †Xenophora terpstrai Dey 1961
 - †Xenophora textilina Dall 1892
 
Fossil record
    
Fossils of Xenophora are found in marine strata from the Cretaceous to Quaternary (age range: from 89.3 to 0.012 million years ago.). Fossils are known all over the world.[7][9]
References
    
- Fischer von Waldheim, Gotthelf (1807). Muséum Demidoff, ou catalogue systématique et raisonné des curiosités de la nature et de l'art. Vol. 3: Végétaux et animaux. p. 213.
 - WoRMS (2012). Xenophora. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138664 on 2012-06-28
 - Xenophora.org website accessed 24 April 2014
 - Kreipl, K. & Alf, A. (1999): Recent Xenophoridae. 148 pp. incl. 28 color plts. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, ISBN 3-925919-26-0.
 - Powell A. W. B. (1979). New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand. ISBN 0-00-216906-1
 - OBIS Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database
 - Paleobiology Database
 - Stromboidea
 - G. Manganelli, V. Spadini, S. Cianfanelli The xenophorid gastropods of the Mediterranean Pliocene: the record of the Siena Basin
 
- Kreipl K. & Alf A. (1999). Recent Xenophoridae. Conchbooks, Hackenheim > Germany. 148pp.
 
External links
    
- Ladd, H.S. (1977). Cenozoic fossil mollusks from western Pacific islands; Gastropods (Eratoidae through Harpidae). U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper. 533: i–iv, 1–84, pls 1–23 
 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - Ponder W.F. (1983). A revision of the Recent Xenophoridae of the World and of the Australian Fossil Species (Mollusca : Gastropoda). Memoir 17. The Australian Museum Sydney, Australia
 

