Subfamily TEREBRINAE Mörch 1852

Type genus: Terebra Bruguière, 1789

Shell: Elongate, multiwhorled, with varying whorl outline, sculpture and colour pattern. Aperture very small relative to shell height, moderately wide to very wide, with short, straight or very weakly recurved, widely open siphonal canal.

Anatomy: Rhynchodeal introvert large, occupying most of rhynchocoel cavity. Radula, proboscis, venom glands, salivary glands and accessory proboscis structure present or absent. Radula (when present)of hypodermic, flat, semi-enrolled or (rarely) duplex marginal teeth, never of solid type.

Remarks: Although the subfamily is consistent with a highly supported clade in the phylogenetic tree of Modica etal. (2019), its circumscription (i.e. based on shared synapomorphic characters) is difficult. Among such characters only the large rhynchodeal introvert that occupies most of the rhynchocoel cavity is consistent. Foregut anatomy offers some other characters that can facilitate practical recognition of Terebrinae . Until proved otherwise, all the radula-less terebrids are in the Terebrinae, as well as all species with flat, semi-enrolled or hypodermic radular teeth. In practice, recognition of the terebrines can be aided by the fact that the two other terebrid subfamilies contain few species and are generally clearly delineated; therefore, all species that are definitely not members of either Pellifroniinae or Pervicaciinae are here considered in Terebrinae .