Cyphoma is a genus of predatory tropical sea snails, a taxonomic group of marine gastropod molluscs in the family Ovulidae, a family which is sometimes known as the false cowries or cowry allies.
Cyphoma | |
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A live individual of Cyphoma gibbosum, anterior end at the top | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Littorinimorpha |
Family: | Ovulidae |
Subfamily: | Simniinae |
Genus: | Cyphoma Röding, 1798[1] |
Type species | |
Bulla gibbosa Linnaeus, 1758 | |
Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms[2] | |
Pseudocyphoma Cate, 1973 |
Cyphoma snails live in tropical oceans and seas.
Cyphoma snails feed by grazing on the sea fans or sea whips which they inhabit.
The males can be territorial, defending part of the sea fan from encroachment by other males.
Species within the genus Cyphoma include: