 The Coralliophilidae, or coral shells are a world wide family of tropical mollusks that, as the name implies, are coral dwellers. There are over 200 known species in the family, most living in rather deep water. The lack of living material made available for study has made the identification and relationship between the species rather difficult. More than 15 genera are included in the family, though the morphological characteristics do not differ greatly among the species. The Latiaxis are extremely popular due to the diversity of shapes and frilly spines. Much more research remains to be done to gain a better understanding of the Coralliophilid species.
LITERATURE: The most comprehensive publication on the coral shells in recent years is a softcover publication entitled, "Illustrated Catalogue of Latiaxis and Its Related Groups, Family Coralliophilidae" by S.Kosuge and M. Suzuki [Institue of Malacology of Tokyo, Special Publication No. 1]. It currently out-of-print, but copies seem to be occasionally available. Other general and regional shell books are helpful in identifying the Coralliophilidae.
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