Rafinesque, 1815
Shell with costae or spiral striae, or both; where both are present they give rise to conspicuous tubercles. Aperture small, oval, with a siphonal canal: often long and in some species forming a tube in mature shells; outer lip thickened, with internal teeth in mature shells. Proboscis eversible; no snout. Foot with an accessory boring organ anteriorly on the sole; operculum horny, with a terminal or lateral nucleus. On hard substrata, boring the shells of their preys, often other molluscs, barnacles, and tube worms. Most lay vase-shaped egg capsules attached to hard substrata.
Source: Hayward et al., 1990.
The following subtaxa of this family occur in the region:
Genus Nucella
Nucella lapillus
Genus Ocenebra
Ocenebra erinacea
Genus Trophon
Trophon barvicensis
Trophon clathratus
Trophon muricatus
Trophon truncatus
Genus Urosalpinx
Urosalpinx cinerea