Echinofulguridae
| Echinofulguridae Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Echinofulgur echinatum | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Buccinoidea |
| Family: | †Echinofulguridae Petuch, 1994 |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Echinofulguridae is an extinct family of predatory marine gastropods within the superfamily Buccinoidea from the Late Cretaceous- Early Pleistocene of eastern North America.[1][2] The family was first described by Petuch in 1994 and is considered by said author to be ancestral to the extant family Busyconidae.[2]
Description
The family comprises three genera per WoRMS, although the source describing Archefulgur also divides it into three subfamilies (see synonyms below).[1][2] The author who named them, Petuch, diagnoses them as "small-to-medium sized gastropods with inflated, pyriform or fusiform shells, most often ornamented with two rows of spines or knobs, one around the mid-body and one around the shoulder; some species have only a single row of spines around the shoulder; shell surface smooth and silky or sculptured with numerous very fine spiral threads; siphonal canals elongated, narrow, separated from the body whorl by a distinct constriction; siphonal canals often ornamented with strong spiral cords or a single large scaly ridge; spire whorls generally elevated, protracted, or scalariform, most often ornamented with one or two rows of spines; parietal region glazed; apertures wide and flaring; protoconchs rounded, composed of two whorls."[2]
Genera
Genera within the family Echinofulguridae include:[3]
- Archefulgur Petuch, R. F. Myers & Berschauer, 2015 †
- Echinofulgur Olsson & Harbison, 1953 †
- Levifusus Conrad, 1865 †
Synonyms
- † Surculofusus É. Vincent, 1895: synonym of † Levifusus Conrad, 1865 [1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Bouchet, Philippe; Neubauer, Thomas A. (2025-06-22). "Echinofulguridae Petuch, 1994 †". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2026-04-05.
- 1 2 3 4 Petuch, Edward J; Myers, Robert F; Berschauer, David P (October 14, 2015). The living and fossil busycon whelks: iconic mollusks of eastern North America. Encinitas, California: San Diego Shell Club, Inc. pp. 8–15. ISBN 9780578170022. OCLC 935507010.
- ↑ "†Echinofulguridae Petuch, 1994". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2026-04-05.
- Petuch, E. J. (1994). Atlas of Florida Fossil Shells. Evanston, Illinois: Chicago Spectrum Press. 394 pp., 20 figs., 100 pls.