I shells are either smooth or orna¬ mented with spiral ribs or vertical folds. All miters have a narrow aperture, a siphonal notch, and folds on the columella; the outer lip may well be smooth, corrugated, or toothed. Many have a thin periostracum; none has an operculum. They are most abundant, colorful, and elaborately ornamented in the tropical Indo-Pacific. Most in¬habit the intertidal zone among coral, under stones, or in sand. The animals are predatory or scavenge for food.