ANCILLARIIDAE SWAINSON, 1840

Kantor, Yu. I., Fedosov, A. E., Puillandre, N., Bonillo, C. & Bouchet, P., 2017, Returning to the roots: morphology, molecular phylogeny and classification of the Olivoidea (Gastropoda: Neogastropoda), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 180, pp. 493-541 : 530

FAMILY ANCILLARIIDAE SWAINSON, 1840

Synonym: Ancillinae H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853

Possible synonym: Vanpalmeriidae Adegoke, 1977. Type genus: Vanpalmeria Adegoke, 1977 . Monotypical family based on Vanpalmeria africana Adegoke, 1977 , from the Paleocene of Nigeria.

Type genus: Ancillaria Lamarck, 1811 [= Ancilla Lamarck, 1799 ]

Diagnosis: Shell glossy or mat, lacking periostracum, fusiform to narrowly fusiform, with high last whorl, and medium broad-to-narrow aperture tapering adapically. Siphonal canal absent, anterior end of shell distinctly notched. Anterior shell end with well-defined anterior band, raised above the shell cloak and often strongly shagreened. Olivoid groove present (at least in some species) in all genera. Plication plate limited to columella, usually with spiral plicae. Primary spire callus well defined, covering most of, or even completely, the shell. Secondary spire callus from poorly defined to very strong. Suture always overlaid by the callus.

Foot with well-developed crescent-shaped propodium, subdivided by longitudinal cleft on dorsal side, and with parapodia partially or completely embracing the shell. Operculum usually present (rarely absent). Radula with three teeth per transverse row. Central tooth tricuspid or multicuspid, lateral teeth mostly simple hook-shaped, sometimes with additional serration along the inner edge ( Ancillina , Fig. 12G) or bifurcated on the top ( Ancilla atimovatae – Kantor et al., 2016: Fig. 9A–C). Mantle without mantle filament, with weak anterior mantle lobe, without anterior mantle tentacle, with very well developed posterior mantle lobe, sometimes subdivided into two lobes. Head formed by dorso-ventrally compressed flaps with or without eyes.

Remarks: The monotypic family Vanpalmeriidae is characterized by a heavily callused spire and few weak plications on the columella. It was originally classified in Volutacea and was reduced to a subfamily of Olividae by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) together with Olivinae and Ancillariinae . Although the position of this enigmatic species remains unclear, it is transferred here conditionally to Ancillariidae based on the presence of the strong primary spire callus that is overlaying the suture.