Nerita

Nerita
A live Nerita tessellata on a rock in Guadeloupe
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Neritimorpha

clade Cycloneritimorpha

Superfamily: Neritoidea
Family: Neritidae
Subfamily: Neritinae
Genus: Nerita
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Nerita peloronta Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms

Nerita (Peloronta) Oken, 1815

Nerita is a genus of medium-sized to small sea snails with a gill and an operculum, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Neritidae, the nerites.

This is the type genus of the family Neritidae.

Distribution and habitat

Species of Nerita can be found worldwide in tropical waters in the middle and upper intertidal zones. They are gregarious herbivores.

Description

The thick shell is broadly ovate or globular and low-spired. It has a smooth surface. The shells are spirally ribbed or show some axial sculpturing. The ventral side has a large columellar callus or parietal wall. The callus shows small pustules. The aperture and the edge of the columella are usually dentate with fine or robust teeth. The calcareus operculum is thick and can be smooth or with a granular structure. The whorls are covered with strong spiral cords.

Taxonomy

Several subgenera have been proposed over the course of time, but various authors in the past could not agree on the placement of many species. The subgeneric placement of the species of Nerita was revised by Vermeij in 1984.[1] However, inconsistencies still remain over the use and validity of many taxonomic names,[2] because species show a wide variety of colors, patterns and even details of shell morphology, which has given rise to many synonyms.

Species

Two views of shells of Nerita polita
Shell and opercula of Nerita peloronta

Species within the genus Nerita include:[3][4][5]

Subgenus Adenerita Dekker, 2000
Subgenus Amphinerita von Martens, 1887
Subgenus Argonerita Frey & Vermeij, 2008
Subgenus Cymostyla von Martens, 1887
Subgenus Heminerita von Martens, 1887
Subgenus Ilynerita von Martens, 1887
Subgenus Linnerita Vermeij, 1984
  • Nerita antiquata Récluz, 1841
  • Nerita erythrostoma Eichhorst & Neville, 2004
  • Nerita litterata Gmelin, 1791
  • Nerita polita Linnaeus, 1758
Subgenus Lisanerita Krijnen, 2002
Subgenus Nerita Linné, 1758
Subgenus Ritena Gray, 1858
alternate representation of Nerita
Subgenus Theliostyla Mörch, 1852
  • Nerita spengleriana Recluz, 1844
Nerita polita rumphii Récluz, 1841 : often referred to as Nerita litterata
A shell of Nerita spengleriana

The Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database also includes the following species with names in current use [7]

  • Nerita amoena (Gould, 1847)
  • Nerita apiata Récluz, 1843
  • Nerita articulata Gould, 1847
  • Nerita asperulata Récluz, 1843
  • Nerita avellana Récluz, 1842
  • Nerita bicolor Récluz, 1843
  • Nerita bruguierei Récluz, 1841
  • Nerita chemnitzii Récluz, 1841
  • Nerita corrosula Récluz, 1842
  • Nerita dacostae Récluz, 1844
  • Nerita grayana Récluz, 1844
  • Nerita maxima Gmelin, 1791
  • Nerita menkeana Récluz, 1842
  • Nerita nigrita Röding, 1798
  • Nerita panayana Récluz, 1843
  • Nerita panayensis Récluz, 1844
  • Nerita pfeifferiana Récluz, 1843
  • Nerita phasiana Récluz, 1842
  • Nerita radiata Récluz, 1841
  • Nerita sayana Récluz, 1844
  • Nerita scabricosta Lamarck, 1822
    • Nerita scabricosta scabricosta Lamarck, 1822
    • Nerita scabricosta ornata Sowerby, 1833
  • Nerita souleyetana Récluz, 1842
  • Nerita succinea Récluz, 1841
  • Nerita tenebrosa Récluz, 1842
Subgenus Amphinerita
    • Nerita polita antiquata Récluz, 1841-b
    • Nerita polita polita Linnaeus, 1758
    • Nerita polita rumphii Récluz, 1841 : often referred to as Nerita litterata as a polymorphic variation of a single species [2]
Subgenus Cymostyla von Martens in Kobelt, 1887
  • Nerita longii Récluz, 1842
  • Nerita quadricolor Gmelin, 1791
Subgenus Heminerita Martens, 1887
  • Nerita morio Sowerby, 1833
Subgenus Linnerita Vermeij, 1984
Subgenus Melanerita Martens, 1889
Subgenus Nerita Linnaeus, 1758
  • Nerita helicinoides Reeve, 1855
  • Nerita picea Récluz, 1841
  • Nerita tristis Pilsbry, 1901-b
Subgenus Ritena Gray, 1858
  • Nerita balteata Reeve, 1855 : probably congeneric with Nerita articulata [2]
  • Nerita grossa Linnaeus, 1758
Subgenus Theliostyla Mörch, 1852
  • Nerita exuvia Linnaeus, 1758
  • Nerita patula Récluz, 1841
  • Nerita semirugosa Récluz, 1841
Species brought into synonymy

References

  1. ↑ Vermeij GJ. 1984. The systematic position of the Neritid prosobranch gastropod Nerita polita and related species. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 97: 688-692.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Siong Kiat Tan and Reuben Clements, Taxonomy and Distribution of the Neritidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) in Singapore, Zoological Studies 47(4): 481-494 (2008)
  3. ↑ WoRMS : Nerita
  4. ↑ ITIS info at
  5. ↑ http://www.catalogueoflife.org/search_results.php?search_string=Nerita&match_whole_words=on
  6. ↑ Malacolog :Nerita ascencionis
  7. ↑ OBIS : Nerita
  8. ↑ (Chinese)Chen, G.; Ye, Y.; Lu, C.; Li, R.; Weng, J.; Xu, Y. (2006). "Distribution of Littoraia melanostoma Gray (Littorinidae) and Nerita lineata Gmelin (Neritadae) in rehabilitated mangroves". Ying yong sheng tai xue bao = the journal of applied ecology / Zhongguo sheng tai xue xue hui, Zhongguo ke xue yuan Shenyang ying yong sheng tai yan jiu suo zhu ban 17 (9): 1721–1725. PMID 17147188.

Further reading

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