Subfamily Turrinae in the Philippines: the genus Turris (Roding, 1798)

Marine gastropods of the family Turridae, commonly known as turrids, comprise the largest living group of venomous snails. The taxonomy of this group, however, has been generally neglected. In this work, the genus Tunis (Roding 1798) is discussed. Out of more than 200 different turrid genera, this genus comprises some of the largest and most distinctive living turrid species. The last comprehensive treatment of this particular genus (Powell 1964) identified seven species from the Philippines. In this paper, twelve distinct species of Turns found in the Philippine waters are recognized. Four new species are described: TurrJs dollyae, T. normandavidsoni, T. pagasa and T. totiphyllis. Insufficient material makes it premature to conclude whether three additional distinctive Turn's forms are separate species, or unusual varieties of other species. The taxonomic status of the genus Turns and its relationship to other Turrinae is further discussed. Alternative hypotheses regarding the evolutionary origins of this group are also considered. In addition, two species of Gemmula, with particular affinities for species clades in Turris are noted: one is a new species and one is a renamed homony.