Enteroxenos

Enteroxenos is a genus of very small parasitic sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Eulimidae.^[1]

Enteroxenos
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Eulimidae
Genus:	Enteroxenos Bonnevie, 1902
Type species
Enteroxenos ostergreni Bonnevie, 1902
Synonyms
Enteroxenus

Description

These small snails have no mouth or gut, and absorb nutrients through their body wall. These odd animals look much more like worms than snails, but the larval form is a veliger, which is characteristic of mollusks.

Species

Species within this genus include the following:

• Enteroxenos bouvieri (Risbec, 1953)
• Enteroxenos muelleri (Semper, 1868)
• Enteroxenos oestergreni Bonnevie, 1902
• Enteroxenos parastichopoli (Tikasingh, 1961)

Species brought into synonymy

• Enteroxenos ostergreni (Bonnevie, 1902): synonym of Enteroxenos oestergreni (Bonnevie, 1902)

Reproduction

The female is significantly larger than the male and may grow up to 15 cm (6 in) in length. The females become hosts to the smaller males, which then fertilise their eggs.