Struthiolaria papulosa

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Struthiolaria papulosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Mesogastropoda
Family: Struthiolariidae
Genus: Struthiolaria
Species: S. papulosa
Binomial name
Struthiolaria papulosa
(Martyn, 1784)

Struthiolaria papulosa, known as the ostrich foot shell (as are all the members of the family), is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc.

Contents

[edit] Distribution

This species is endemic to the North Island and the northern half of the South Island of New Zealand.

[edit] Habitat

This large snail is found near low tide on muddy sand beaches, where it is buried just below the surface.

[edit] Description

The shell is rather large and broadly ovate but with an acute turretted spire medially angled and studded with bluntly pointed tubercles. The rest of the surface is finely spirally lirate. The aperture has a heavily callused outer lip, and a broad spreading parietal callus extending over the body whorl from the inner lip.

The operculum is leaf-shaped, produced anteriorly into a long hooked spike, and is very small for the size of the shell.

The shell coloration is pinkish-buff, with numerous flexuous axial narrow stripes in reddish-brown to purplish-brown. The apertural callus is white tinged around the outer lip and at the anterior end with chestnut-brown. The interior of the aperture is purplish-brown.

The body and tentacles of the animal are reddish-orange.

The shell height is up to 80 mm, and width up to 48 mm

[edit] Human use

In earlier days this species was a favoured food of the Māori.

[edit] References