The shells of turritellid species have whorls that are more convex and their apertures being more circular than it is in the auger shells, which are similarly high-spired. The columella is curved and the thin operculum has many horns.

These snails burrow into mud or sand, with their feet being relatively small.

The following genera are recognised in the family Turritellidae:^[1]

†Omalaxinae

• †Omalaxis Deshayes, 1832

Orectospirinae

• Orectospira Dall, 1925

Pareorinae

• †Batillona Finlay, 1927
• †Eligmostoma Cossmann, 1888
• Mesalia Gray, 1847
• Pareora Marwick, 1931
• †Sigmesalia H. J. Finlay & Marwick, 1937

Protominae

• †Allmonia Harzhauser & Landau, 2019
• Protoma Baird, 1870

Turritellinae

• Archimediella Sacco, 1895
• Armatus A. N. Golikov, 1986
• †Asiella Kryachkova, 1969
• Banzarecolpus A. W. B. Powell, 1957
• Broderiptella Olsson, 1964
• Callostracum E. A. Smith, 1909
• †Calvertitella Petuch, 1988
• Caviturritella Friend & B. M. Anderson, 2023
• †Colposigma H. J. Finlay & Marwick, 1937
• Colpospira J. Donald, 1900
• †Costacolpus Marwick, 1966
• †Cristispira Allison, 1965
• Gazameda Iredale, 1924
• Haustator Montfort, 1810
• Helminthia Handmann, 1882
• Incatella DeVries, 2007
• †Kapalmerella Allmon, 2005
• Maoricolpus H. J. Finlay, 1926
• †Mariacolpus Petuch, 1988
• †Nairiella Hacobjan, 1969
• Neohaustator Ida, 1952
• †Nodosella Hacobjan, 1969
• †Oligodia Handmann, 1882
• †Peyrotia Cossmann, 1912
• †Ptychidia Handmann, 1882
• †Roamerella S. K. Donovan & van den Hoek Ostende, 2013
• †Spirocolpus H. J. Finlay, 1926
• Stiracolpus H. J. Finlay, 1926
• †Tachyrhinchella Titova, 1994
• Tachyrhynchus Mörch, 1868
• Torcula J. E. Gray, 1847
• †Torquesia H. Douvillé, 1929
• †Torquesiella Pchelintsev, 1969
• Tropicolpus Marwick, 1931
• Turritella Lamarck, 1799 - the type genus of the family
• Turritellinella Harzhauser & Landau, 2019
• Vermicularia Lamarck, 1799
• †Viennella Harzhauser & Landau, 2019
• Zeacolpus H. J. Finlay, 1926

Other

• †Arcotia Stoliczka, 1867
• †Leptocolpus H. J. Finlay & Marwick, 1937

• The Turritellenplatte of Ermingen ("Erminger Turritellenplatte" near Ulm, Germany) is situated in the northern part of the North Alpine Foreland Basin (NAFB) and is of interest for its abundance of Turritella turris gastropod shells within sedimentary deposits. The fauna of the gastropod-rich sandstone reflects mainly towards near-coastal and shallow marine conditions.^[2] Petrographical and palaeontological data allow for a correlation with this area and the Burdigalian age (Lower Miocene epoch). Based on the Sr-isotope composition of shark teeth in the area, the age of the area is about 18,5 Ma.^[3]

• Mayr H. (1985). A Guide to Fossils. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. (English translation 1992).
• Powell A. W. B. (1979). New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand, ISBN 0-00-216906-1.
• Kiel S. (2003) New taxonomic data for the gastropod fauna of the Umzamba Formation (Santonian–Campanian, South Africa); Cretaceous Research 24 (2003) 449–475

• "Turritellidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
• Selachian fauna of Turritellenplatte: Abstract of Baier et al. 2004
• Age and Sedimentpetrography of Turritellenplatte: Abstract of Baier 2008
• Turritelidae species database
• Miocene Gastropods and Biostratigraphy of the Kern River Area, California; United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 642   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.