Cymatium is a genus of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cymatiidae. This genus has numerous species, perhaps as many as 100, some of which have a worldwide distribution. The genus has been divided into at least 10 subgenera. Some authors have elevated those subgenera, giving them the full status of genera, but this is by no means universally accepted. Fossil records This genus is known in the fossil records from the Eocene to the Quaternary (age range: from 55.8 to 0.012 million years ago). Description These sea snails have separate sexes. They lay egg capsules. After hatching, the larvae have a planktonic stage that can (in some species) last several months; this is what enables the very widespread distribution seen in certain species, as the planktonic larvae can be carried great distances before settling to the sea floor. Subgenera There are at least 10 subgenera within the genus Cymatium . These are elevated by some authors to the level of genera. Cymatium Röding, 1798, type species: Cymatium femorale Monoplex G. Perry, 1811, type species: Cymatium parthenopeum Gelagna Schaufuss, 1869, type species: Cymatium succinctum Ranularia Schumacher, 1817, type species: Cymatium gutturnium Gutturnium Mørch, 1852, type species: Cymatium muricinum Reticutriton Habe and Kosuge, 1966, type species: Cymatium pfeifferianum Linatella Gray, 1868, type species: Cymatium cutaceum Lotoria Emerson and Old, 1963, type species: Cymatium perryi Septa Perry, 1810, type species: Septa rubecula: considered as a genus in WoRMS Turritriton Dall, 1904, type species: Cymatium gibbosum Species According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) the following species with accepted names are included within the genus Cymatium: Cymatium femorale (Linnaeus, 1758) Cymatium raderi D’Attilio & Myers, 1984 Cymatium ranzanii (Bianconi, 1850) Cymatium tigrinum (Broderip, 1833) Gallery Species brought into synonymy Cymatium aegrotum (Reeve, 1844): synonym of Ranularia gallinago (Reeve, 1844) Cymatium aquatile (Reeve, 1844) : synonym of Monoplex aquatilis (Reeve, 1844) Cymatium cingulatum (Lamarck, 1822): synonym of Linatella caudata (Gmelin, 1791) Cymatium clandestinum (Lamarck, 1816): synonym of Gelagna succincta (Linnaeus, 1771) Cymatium closeli Beu, 1987: synonym of Septa closeli (Beu, 1987) Cymatium comptum (A. Adams, 1855) : synonym of Monoplex comptus (A. Adams, 1855) Cymatium corrugatum (Lamarck, 1816);: synonym of Monoplex corrugatus (Lamarck, 1816) Cymatium cutaceum (Lamarck, 1816): synonym of Linatella caudata (Gmelin, 1791) Cymatium cynocephalum (Lamarck, 1816) : synonym of Ranularia cynocephala (Lamarck, 1816) Cymatium doliarium Lamarck: synonym of Cabestana dolaria (Linnaeus, 1767) Cymatium durbanensis