Naticinae Guilding, 1834

Subfamily Naticinae Guilding, 1834 View in CoL

Genus Cochlis Röding, 1798 View in CoL

Type species. Nerita vittata Gmelin, 1791 ; subsequent designation by Hedley (1916: 51). Present-day, west Africa to western Mediterranean Sea.

Discussion. The distinctive characters of Cochlis were outlined by Pedriali & Robba (2005) and are refined herein as follows: 1) protoconch low-turbiniform of 1.25–3.5 smooth whorls, protoconch I with spiral rows of granules in a few species, 2) teleoconch thin to solid, globose to depressed-globose, body whorl moderately expanded, 3) spire rather depressed to moderately elevated, 4) suture adpressed to channeled, 5) parietal callus thin to thick, short in most species, with poorly developed to indistinct anterior lobe, 6) umbilicus rather small to large, 7) funicle present, thread-like to thick, completely filling the umbilicus in a few species, 8) umbilical callus small to broad, separated from the parietal callus by a reverse J-shaped notch in most species, and 9) outer surface of the operculum with two or three marginal ribs. As already noted by Pedriali & Robba (2005), the characters of the parietal callus, of the umbilicus, and of the operculum combined constitute the primary diagnostic elements of Cochlis .

The species belonging in the genus Natica are distinguished from those of Cochlis in that they have: 1) the anterior lobe of the parietal callus well developed, obscuring the adapical part of the umbilicus to a variable extent, 2) the funicle absent or vestigial, and 3) the umbilical callus absent to weak. The presence of a well-defined funicle (regardless of its strength) distinguishes Cochlis from Natica . The species of the genus Naticarius Duméril, 1806 have the teleoconch similar to that of Cochlis , but their opercula have the outer surface with many ribs instead of two or three.