Nutmeg Shells of The Cancellariidae Family

Five Nutmeg Shells of the Cancellariidae Family can be found in this website:

Phylogeny: Nutmeg Shells of the Cancellariidae Family are gastropod mollusks in the Neogastropoda order. Neogastropods are characterized by having a long siphon canal, a well-developed siphon 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. They are temporarily placed in the Neogastropoda incertae sedis superfamily (incertae sedis is Latin for uncertain seating, meaning they are not sure where it goes). Cancellariidae is one of four families within this superfamily. The Cancellariidae Family is large with two subfamilies, forty-nine genera, and around three hundred sixty-five species. Shells in this family are also commonly known as Cancellariids.

Description: Nutmeg Shells are small to medium-sized shells that may be thick and strong or thin in build. They vary considerably in shape and can have bullet, cork-screw, globose, or fusiform (spindle-like) profiles. Most Nutmeg Shells have fairly big body whorls, a moderately high spire, and a short siphon canal. They are sculpted with axial and spiral ridges, which gives them a cancellate (lattice-like) pattern. It is this pattern that gives them their family name.  Some species have varices or spines along their shoulder. They have an elongated aperture. The outer lip may be thickened and/or toothed. The columella may be smooth or sculpted with two or three folds. Some species have a slight (rarely deep) umbilicus. These shells do not have operculum. The largest species in this family are 1.1 cm (0.4 inches) in length.

Habitat and Distribution: Nutmeg Shells live on sand or mud substrates in the intertidal zone, and at depths up to 3,000 m (9,840 feet). They are found worldwide in tropical to temperate seas. Fifteen species from this family are found in Mexican waters.

Natural History: Nutmeg Shells are suctorial feeders. They feed by sucking the contents out of egg capsules or bodily fluids out of animal hosts. Host animals include electric rays, polychaete worms, crustaceans, and mollusks.  In turn they are preyed upon by shorebirds, crabs, fish, and predatory mollusks. Nutmeg Shells are gonochoric and reproduce sexually with internal fertilization. The eggs are laid in protective capsules.  Nutmeg Shells derive their common name from their resemblance to nutmeg plant seeds.