Caecidae is a taxonomic family of very small and minute sea snails or micromolluscs, marine gastropod molluscs in the order Littorinimorpha.

Habitat

These minute tubular shells can be found living in marine sediment, or among algae or sponges, in warm and temperate seas.

Shell description

The shells in this family, are unusual in that the adult shell is a curving tube. In the subfamily Caecinae the protoconch is lost and the tube is sealed with a permanent calcareous plug at one end. In the subfamilies Ctiloceratinae and Strebloceratinae the protoconch is retained. At the other end the tube is sealed by a circular operculum. The spiral part is almost always lost when outgrowing the juvenile stage. The color of the shell is white to pale yellow.

Taxonomy

This family contains three subfamilies :

• Caecinae Gray, 1850
• Ctiloceratinae Iredale & Laseron, 1957
• Strebloceratinae Bandel, 1996

Genera

• Caecum Fleming, 1813
• Carinocera Iredale & Laseron, 1957
• Ctiloceras R. B. Watson, 1886
• Elephantellum^{[citation needed]}
• Enigmerces Iredale & Laseron, 1957
• Fartulum Carpenter, 1857
• Gladioceras Iredale & Laseron, 1957
• Jayella Iredale & Laseron, 1957 WoRMS : Jayella accessed : 18 October 2010</ref>
• Meioceras Carpenter, 1859
• Micranellum Bartsch 1900^{[citation needed]}
• Parastrophia de Folin, 1870
• Ponderoceras Bandel, 1996
• Pseudoparastrophia^{[citation needed]}
• Strebloceras Carpenter 1859
• Torresella Iredale & Laseron, 1957
• Transcopia Iredale & Laseron, 1957
• Watsonia de Folin, 1880

Genera brought into synonymy 

• Brochina Gray, 1857 : synonym of Caecum Fleming, 1813
• Brochus T. Brown, 1827 : synonym of Caecum Fleming, 1813
• Moreletia de Folin, 1869 : synonym of Parastrophia de Folin, 1869
• Odontidium Philippi, 1836 : synonym of Caecum Fleming, 1813
• Pedumicra Iredale & Laseron, 1957 : synonym of Parastrophia de Folin, 1869
• Phleboceras de Folin, 1868 : synonym of Strebloceras Carpenter, 1859
• Pictocaecum Habe 1978 : synonym of Caecum Fleming, 1813

References

• Folin L. de (1875) Monographie de la famille des Caecidae. Bulletin de la Société des Sciences, Lettres et Arts de Bayonne, 1: 103-131, 1 pl
• Vaught, K.C. (1989). A classification of the living Mollusca. American Malacologists: Melbourne, FL (USA). ISBN 0-915826-22-4. XII, 195 pp
• Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (2005). Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families. Malacologia 47(1-2): 1-397

• WoRMS : Caecidae; accessed : 18 October 2010
• "Caecidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=71372.
• Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1