The higher classification of the family Marginellidae has long been in a state of confusion. Many popular works still treat all members of this family under the single genus Marginella, basing them primarily on superficial similarities of the shell.
The confusion over the classification stems from the fact that the earlier classifications were based rather crudely on shell characters. Although many good differential shell characters do exist within this group, those characters were generally misinterpreted or not recognized as significant. Such information as did exist on the radulae and the external anatomy of the living animals was widely scattered in the scientific literature, and internal anatomical descriptions were not available until fairly recently.
In 2019 a new molecular phylogeny of marginelliform gastropods has been established by Fedosov A.E., Caballer Gutierrez M., Buge B., Sorokin P.V., Puillandre N., Bouchet P.[2]
The shell of Marginellidae is usually small, but varies in different species from minute to medium-sized.
The external color of the shell can be white, cream, yellow, orange, red, or brown, and can be uniformly colored, or patterned in various ways. The protoconchispaucispiral. The lip of the shell is thickened, and can be smooth or denticulate. An external varix may be present or absent, a siphonal notch may be present or absent. The columella may have 2-6 plications. The operculum is absent in this family.
Adams, Henry and Arthur Adams 1853. In: 1853-1858. The genera of Recent Mollusca; arranged according to their organization. John van Voorst, London. 3 vols [1:vi-xl, 1-484; 2:1-661; 3:pls. 1-138].
Barnard, Keppel Harcourt
1962. A new genus in the family Marginellidae. Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London 35(1):14-15.
1963. The family position of Afrivoluta pringlei Tomlin. The Journal of Conchology 25(5):198-199.
Clover, Philip 1974. A new species of Cypraea from West Africa and three new species of Marginellidae from the Indian Ocean. The Journal of Conchology 28(4):213-216, pl.8.
Coan, Eugene 1965. A proposed reclassification of the family Marginellidae. The Veliger 7(3):184-189
Coan, Eugene and Barry Roth
1966. The West American Marginellidae. The Veliger 8(4): 276-299, pls. 48-51.
1976. Status of the genus Hyalina Schumacher, 1817 (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Journal of Moluccan Studies 42(2):217-222.
Cooke, Alfred Hands 1922. On the pseudo-genus Pseudomarginella, v. Maltzan. Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London15(1):3-5.
Coomans, H. E.
1969a. On the identity of Criptospira glauca and the related Cryptospira ventricosa, (Gastropoda: Marginellidae). Basteria 33(5-6):85-92.
1969b. Notes om Marginella spryi. Basteria 39(1-2):23-27.
1975. Marginella orstomi. A new species from deeper water off the coast of West Africa (gastropoda, Marginellidae). Bulletin Zoologisch Museum, Universiteit von Amsterdam vol.4 No.12
Coomans, H. E. and Philip Clover 1972. The genus Rivomarginella (Gastropoda, Marginellidae). Beaufortia 20(263):69-75.
Coovert, Gary A.
1986a. Type species list. Marginella Marginalia 1(1):1-3.
1986b. Generic group names. Marginella Marginalia 1(2):5-7.
1987a. The genus Afrivoluta and a review of the type species Afrivoluta pringlei Tomlin, 1947. Marginella Marginalia 2(1):1-8.
1987b. Addenda to Afrivoluta paper. Marginella Marginalia 2(6):39
1987c. Propor usage of the generic names Haloginella, Hyalina, and Volvarina with a diagnosis of the genus Haloginella. Marginella Marginalia 3(1):1-7
1987d. The external anatomy of two species of Caribbean Marginellidae. Marginella Marginalia 3(5):33-37.
1988a. Type species of the genera Austroginella and Mesoginella and their synonyms. Marginella Marginalia 4(2/3):9-26.
1988b. Marginellidae of Florida, Part II. Prunum succinea with a discussion of Prunum and Volvarina. Marginella Marginalia 4(5)_35-42, pl. 1.
Cossmann, Alexandre Édouard Maurice 1899. Essaid e paléonconchologie comparée. Cossmann, Paris. Vol. 3, 201 p., pls. 1-8.
Fischer, Paul 1883 . In: 1880-1887. Manuel de conchyologie et de paléontologie conchyologique ou histoire naturelle des mollusques vivantes et fossiles. Libraire F. Savy, Paris. Vol. 2(fascicule 6):513-608, 1883.
Gofas, Serge 1989. Le genre Volvarina (Marginellidae) dans la Mediterranée et l´Atlantique du nord est. Bolletino Malacologico 25(5-8):159-182.
Gofas, Serge and Francisco Fernandes
1988. The marginellids of São Tomé, West Africa. Journal of Conchology 33(1):1-30, pls. 1-2.
1992. The Marginellidae of Angola: The genus Volvarina. The Journal of Conchology 34(4):187-198
1994. The Marginellidae of Angola: The genus Marginella. Journal of Conchology 35:103-119
Gray, John Edward 1847. A list of the genera of Recent Mollusac, their synonyma and types. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1847 pt.15[=17]:129-219.
Harasewych, M. G. and Y. I. Kantor 1991. Rediscovery of Marginellona gigas (Martens, 1904), with notes on the anatomy and systematic position on the subfamily Marginelloninae (Gastropoda: Marginellidae). Nemouria 37:1-19.
Hinds, Richard Brinsley 1844. Descriptions of Marginellae collected during the voyage of H.M.S. Sulphur, and from the collection of Mr. Cuming. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1844 pt. 12[= vol. 14].72-77.
Jousseaume, Felix P. 1875. Coquilles de la famille des marginelles. Monographie. Revue et Magasin de Zoologie, ser.3, 3:164-271, 429-435, pls. 7-8. [Also issued separately, pp. 1–115, pls. 7-8].
Laseron, Charles F. 1957. A new classification of the Australian Marginellidae (Mollusca), with a review of species from the Solanderian and Dampierian zoogeographical provinces. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 8(3):274-311.
Redfield, John H.
1852. Description of new species of Marginella, with notes on sundry species of Marginella and Cypraea. Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History in New York 5:224-228.
1870. Catalogue of the known species, recent and fossil, of the family Marginellidae. American Journal of Concholoigy 6(2):215-269.
Reeve, Lovell Augustus 1864-1865. Monograph of the genus Marginella. In; Chonchologia Iconica: or illustration of the shells of molluscous animals. Vol. 15, pls. 2-13 [Aug. 1864], pls. 1,14-27, index, errata [Jan. 1865].
Sohl, N. F. 1963. New gastropod genera from the late Upper Cretaceous of East Gulf Coastal * Sowerby, George Brettingham II 1846. Monograph of the genus Marginella. In: Thesaurus Conchyliorum, or figures and descriptions of Recent Shells. Sowerby, London. Vol 1(7):239-406, pls.68-78.
Thiele, Johannes 1904. Pt. B, Anatomisch-systematische untersuchungen einiger Gastropoden, pp. 147–180, pls. 6-9. In: Martens and Thiele. Die beschalten Gastropoden der deutscen Tiefsee-Expedition 1898-1899.
Tomlin, John Reed le Brockton 1947. A new South African volutid. The Journal of Conchology 22(10):244-245
Weinkauff, Henrich Conrad 1878-1879. Die gattungen Marginella und EratoIn: Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet von Martini und Cheminitz. 2nd ed. Bauer and Raspe, Nürnberg. Vol. 5(4):1-166, pls. 1-26.
