>Not that more than the two eager-beavers who e-ed me seem to care, but
>it seems all Muricids, Nucella lapillus included, are flesh-eaters, and
>distain anything remotely resembling a vegetable.
>
>        My question now is, are there families of molluscs which are split
>along  vegetarian/carnivore lines?  My understanding  is that there are
>fundamental differences in the radula of primary vs secondary consumers,
>and that the radula is an "evolutionarily conservative" feature,
>meaning  that it changes more slowly than such things as patterns,
>sculpture, size, etc.  Thus, radulae amongst members of any taxonomic
>unit as closely related as the "Family" level, will be similar enough to
>make it  seemingly unlikely in the extreme that any Family would contain
>species whose radula is specialized for carnivorie as well as relatively
>unspecialized salad-munching radulae-bearing  spp.  Howev er, i
>nevertheless request the list to come up with exeptions to this
>supposition.  Any candidates?
>
>
- Ross Mayhew
>
>
 
In the chitons, the Mopaliidae are split (but quite lopsided). Mopalia,
Plaxiphora, etc. are vegans; Placiphorella are carnivores.
 
It also is my understanding that some conchs, such as S. gallus, are
scavengers rather than vegans.
 
*  G Thomas Watters               *
*  Ohio Biological Survey &       *
*  Aquatic Ecology Laboratory     *
*  Ohio State University          *
*  1315 Kinnear Rd.               *
*  Columbus, OH 43212 USA         *
*  v:614-292-6170 f:614-292-0181  *
 
"The world is my oyster, except for months with an "R" in them" - Firesign
Theater