Xenophora
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Xenophora Temporal range: Late Cretaceous–Recent |
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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 | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Littorinimorpha |
| Superfamily: | Xenophoroidea |
| Family: | Xenophoridae |
| Genus: |
Xenophora Fischer von Waldheim, 1807 |
| Species | |
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See text |
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| Synonyms | |
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Xenophorus (incorrect subsequent spelling of Xenophora Fischer von Waldheim, 1807) |
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See text
Xenophorus (incorrect subsequent spelling of Xenophora Fischer von Waldheim, 1807)
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. The genus Xenophora is the type genus of the family Xenophoridae.
Xenophora is also the name of the quarterly magazine of the French Conchologist Association.
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.
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. 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.
The genus Xenophora includes the following species and subspecies:
Extinct species within this genus include:
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.
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