Reproductive anatomy of three Mediterranean species of Coralliophilidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Neogastropoda)

The functional reproductive system of three Mediterranean species of Coralliophilidae (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia), Coralliophila brevis, Coralliophila meyendorffii and Babelomurex cariniferus, was compared with that of Coralliophila squamosa and three Leptoconchus species. Differences chiefly in the pallial section of the female reproductive tract separate the Indo-Pacific genus Leptoconchus from the Mediterranean species, and subdivide the latter into three different anatomical groups. Polyphyly of the genus Coralliophila is suggested. Comparison of the reproductive system of coralliophilids with that of the related Muricidae allows identifying characters of Coralliophila brevis, Coralliophila meyendorffii and Babelomurex cariniferus that are unknown in Muricidae. The comparison also reveals a closer similarity of Coralliophila squamosa with Ocenebrinae, suggesting that this species might represent a less derived evolutionary line within Coralliophilidae. The reproductive system of some individuals of Coralliophila meyendorffii and Babelomurex cariniferus undergoing penis reduction in the laboratory is also studied. It sheds some light in the ontogeny of the female pallial reproductive tract, and provides direct evidence for the existence of protandry in these species.