Bullinidae
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 Bullina lineata
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| Bullina Férussac, 1822 |
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The family Bullinidaeare a taxonomic group of small shelled sea slugs, marine opistobranch gastropod mollusks in the suborder Cephalaspidea, the head slugs.
Synonyms : Nonacteoninidae Bandel, 1994 and Sulcoactaeonidae Gründel, 1997
Original spelling : Bullinadae. This family was also declared a new family by Rudman in 1972.
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[edit] Shell description
The ovate shell has a diameter of up to 20 mm, with a short or compressed apex and an inflated last whorl. The snails are already more conspicuously colored. Their white or cream-colored shell resembles the one of the Acteonidae, but is sculptured with redbrown to black punctate grooves. These spiraling grooves are crossed by wavy axial bands on the body whorl.
The shells have a large aperture, rounded at the outer lip, and the columella is upright.
[edit] Habitat
This family of gastropods live in the intertidal to sublittoral waters of tropical and subtropical seas.
[edit] Life habits
The mantle can still be retracted completely into the already thinner shell, but the operculum is already too small to cover the opening. They regurgitate their meals when attempting to retract into their shells.
Further treatment under Acteonoidea and Cephalaspidea.
[edit] Taxonomy
Genus Bullina Férussac, 1822
- Bullina callizona Sakurai & Habe, 1961
- Distribution : Philippines
- Description : white ovate shell with four narrow pink spiraling bands.
- Bullina exquisita McGinty, 1955 Exquisite Bubble
- Distribution : Indian Ocean
- Length : 7.8 mm
- Description : found at depths of 90 to 110 m
- Bullina lineata Gray 1825 Red-lined Bubble.
- Distribution : Indo-Pacific, Japan to Australia.
- Length : 15-25 mm
- Description : sublittoral; small black eyes on the head, between the headshield processes; characteristic shell with horizontally spiraling redbrown bands, crossing vertical bands in the same color, over a white background. The snail has a milky white mantle with iridescent blue edges.
- Bullina nobilis Habe, 1950
- Distribution : Japan, Philippines
- Length : 10-21 mm
- Description : ovate shell with wide aperture, narrowing at the top, and white outer lip; shell with horizontally spiraling redbrown bands, crossing wavy vertical bands in the same color, over a white background. Twisted columella.
- Bullina oblonga Sowerby, 1893
- Distribution : South Africa, Réunion.
- Length : 8-11.5 mm
- Description : rather rare; almost white shell, crossed by numerous redbrown fine spiraling bands that end at the columella.
- Bullina roseana Rudman, 1971
- Distribution : New Zealand
- Description : translucent white snail; headshield forms a large pair of flaps; large, thin foot; operculum is fastened to the rear midline; pinkish white ovate shell with two pink spiraling lines; large aperture, narrowing at the top; straight, white columella
- Bullina torrei (Aguayo & Rehder, 1936)
- Distribution : Cuba, Virgin Islands, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Bengal.
- Length : 8.5 mm
- Description : found at depths of 15 to 27 m
- Bullina virgo Habe, 1950
- Distribution : Philippines
- Length : 8 mm
- Description : white shell crossed by two pale pink spiraling bands.
- Bullina vitrea Pease, 1860
- Distribution : Australia, New Caledonia, Hawaii, Japan
- Description : found at depths of 12-15 m; shell with two gray or black spiraling bands and a yellowish color at the anterior and posterior; the snail is translucent clear with white pigmentation.
[edit] References
- Rudman, W.B. (1972) "Studies on the primitive opisthobranch genera Bullina Ferussac and Micromelo Pilsbry". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 51(2): 105-19, 8 figs.
