Tricolia pullus
Encyclopedia
Tricolia pullus is a species
of small sea snail
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Phasianellidae
.
with a smooth structure, the body whorl
being the largest. The shell has a short, abrupt spire
.There is no distinct umbilicus. The aperture
is roundish oval with a conspicuous operculum
is thick and has a white calcareous surface. The colour pattern of the shiny shell is very variable and goes from cream to white with pink or purple-brown spots spirally distributed in zigzag or flamed patterns.
The adults are gonochoristic, i.e. consisting of distinct males and females. The ova are released in the sea and fertilized externally.
, the Sea of Azov
, in the Atlantic Ocean along the Canaries
and in the Indian Ocean along Madagascar
. It is found in the sublittoral zone and deeper waters (up to 35 m) in often abundant numbers on red seaweed
s (Laurencia, Lomentaria, Mastocarpus), collecting diatom
s and detritus
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of small sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Phasianellidae
Phasianellidae
Phasianellidae common name the "pheasant shells" or "pheasant snails" is a family of small sea snails with calcareous opercula, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Vetigastropoda ....
.
Subspecies
Subspecies within this species are not clearly distinguishable and are described on a geographical base. They include:- Tricolia pullus azorica (Dautzenberg, 1889)
- Tricolia pullus canarica Nordsieck, 1973
- Tricolia pullus picta (da Costa, 1778) (synonym : Tricolia picta (da Costa, 1778) )
- Tricolia pullus pullus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Description
The size of the plump, oval shell varies between 3 mm and 11 mm. The shell has five or six rounded, gently convex whorlsWhorl (mollusc)
A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in of numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including Nautilus, Spirula and the large extinct subclass of cephalopods known as the...
with a smooth structure, the body whorl
Body whorl
Body whorl is part of the morphology of a coiled gastropod mollusk.- In gastropods :In gastropods, the body whorl, or last whorl, is the most recently-formed and largest whorl of a spiral or helical shell, terminating in the aperture...
being the largest. The shell has a short, abrupt spire
Spire (mollusc)
A spire is a descriptive term for part of the coiled shell of mollusks. The word is a convenient aid in describing shells, but it does not refer to a very precise part of shell anatomy: the spire consists of all of the whorls except for the body whorl...
.There is no distinct umbilicus. The aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
is roundish oval with a conspicuous operculum
Operculum (gastropod)
The operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...
is thick and has a white calcareous surface. The colour pattern of the shiny shell is very variable and goes from cream to white with pink or purple-brown spots spirally distributed in zigzag or flamed patterns.
The adults are gonochoristic, i.e. consisting of distinct males and females. The ova are released in the sea and fertilized externally.
Distribution
This species is distributed in European waters, the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, the Sea of Azov
Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov , known in Classical Antiquity as Lake Maeotis, is a sea on the south of Eastern Europe. It is linked by the narrow Strait of Kerch to the Black Sea to the south and is bounded on the north by Ukraine mainland, on the east by Russia, and on the west by the Ukraine's Crimean...
, in the Atlantic Ocean along the Canaries
Canaries
Canaries may refer to:* Canary Islands, an archipelago in the Atlantic belonging to Spain* Canaries Quarter, a village on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia* "The Canaries", the nickname of two English football teams: Norwich City F.C. and Hitchin Town F.C....
and in the Indian Ocean along Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. It is found in the sublittoral zone and deeper waters (up to 35 m) in often abundant numbers on red seaweed
Seaweed
Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...
s (Laurencia, Lomentaria, Mastocarpus), collecting diatom
Diatom
Diatoms are a major group of algae, and are one of the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular, although they can exist as colonies in the shape of filaments or ribbons , fans , zigzags , or stellate colonies . Diatoms are producers within the food chain...
s and detritus
Detritus
Detritus is a biological term used to describe dead or waste organic material.Detritus may also refer to:* Detritus , a geological term used to describe the particles of rock produced by weathering...
.