Systematic classification of Recent and fossil conoidean gastropods

This book present a new classification of the cone shells. It is based on radular morphology to define most of the suprageneric taxa. However, other features such as shell morphology, morphology of the periostracum and operculum and dietary habits are also factored in. The authors consider fossil taxa as well as Recent taxa. The classification consists of five families, namely Conorbiidae, Hemiconidae n. fam., Taranteconidae n. fam., Conilithidae n. fam. and Conidae. The family Conidae is by far the most numerous in terms of genera both extinct and living, and comprises at least two subfamilies (Coninae and Puncticuliinae) and 64 genera, one of them fossil. The next family in number of genera is Conilithidae, with two new subfamilies (Conilithinae and Californiconinae) and 19 genera, two of them extinct. The remaining three families are basal to the other two, and much less diverse: Hemiconidae has only one fossil genus assigned, whereas Taranteconidae has two extant genera, and Conorbiidae consists of three genera, one fossil and two extant. Thus, the resulting classification comprises 89 genera in total, from which 27 are introduced as new taxa.