The Coculiniformia contains two super-families, Cocculinoidea and Lepetelloidea. The classification of the group is based on the assumption that certain coiled species (fam. Choristellidae) represent the derived state and originate from primarily limpet-shaped species within the Cocculiniformia (Haszprunar 1988, 1992). We are not convinced that this is correct, and therefore we do not assign the Pyropeltidae to a superfamily. We are, nevertheless, convinced that the family Pyropeltidae is related to some of these limpets, which is of some interest for further discussion.
Members of the Cocculinoidea are limpet-like deep-water archaeogastropods, which live in association with various kinds of organic material. The species of Osteopeltidae and some Pyropeltidae live on old whale bone (Marshall 1987; Waren 1989; McLean in press), at least some species of Cocculinellidae live on and consume fish bone (Marshall 1983). Most species of the superfamily live on sunken remains of plants or sunken drift-wood (Marshall 1985; Haszprunar 1986).