Morula granulata
| Morula (Morula) granulata | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A shell of Morula granulata from South Africa at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Muricoidea |
| Family: | Muricidae |
| Subfamily: | Ergalataxinae |
| Genus: | Morula |
| Subgenus: | Morula |
| Species: | M. granulata |
| Binomial name | |
| Morula (Morula) granulata (Duclos, 1832) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Morula (Morula) granulata, common name the mulberry shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.[1]
Description
The shell size varies between 18 mm and 30 mm. The conical, oblong shell is compact and contains no varices. It is covered with dark brown to black blunt knobs on a white background with spiral cords between the rows. The body whorl is covered with six rows of nodules. The outer lip is dentate with four to five teeth within. The narrow aperture is blackish. The columella and the inner lip are white.[1]
This globular shape, tight shell coiling, strong sculpture, a dentate outer lip and narrow aperture offers an added protection against shell-crushing predators, such as fishes and crabs.[2]
This mollusc is a predator and feeds by drilling sedentary or semi-mobile prey. It eats only other molluscs, mainly gastropods of the genera Cerithium, Rissoina, Heliacus, and Bittium, and the mussel Hormomya.[3]
Imposex in Morula granulata is a bioindicator for the presence of tributyltin (TBT) contamination (an anti-fouling paint for boats which affects females of the species).[4]
Distribution
This species is can be found on a rocky substrate or reef flats in the intertidal zone. It is distributed in the Red Sea, in the Indian Ocean along Aldabra Atoll, Chagos, East Coast of South Africa, Transkei, Natal, Kenya, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mozambique and Tanzania, and in the Indo-West Pacific.
References
- 1 2 3 Morula (Morula) granulata (Duclos, 1832). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 19 November 2010.
- ↑ Vermeij, Geerat J.; John D. Currey (1980). "Geographical variation in the strength of thaidid snail shells". Biol. Bull. 158: 383–389. doi:10.2307/1540864. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ↑ Kohn, Alan J. (1970). "Food Habits of the Gastropod Mitra litterata Lamarck: Relation to Trophic Structure of the Intertidal Marine Bench Community in Hawaii". Pacific Science 24 (4). hdl:10125/6126.
- ↑ Reitsema, T.J.; J.T. Spickett (1999). "Imposex in Morula granulata as Bioindicator of Tributyltin (TBT) Contamination in the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia". Marine Pollution Bulletin 39 (1-12): 280–284. doi:10.1016/S0025-326X(99)00091-0. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- Dautzenberg, Ph. (1929). Mollusques testaces marins de Madagascar. Faune des Colonies Francaises, Tome III
- Kalk, M. (1958). The fauna of the intertidal rocks at Inhaca Island, Delagoa Bay. Ann. Natal Mus. 14: 189-242
- W. & M. Kalk (eds) (1958). A natural history of Inhaca Island, Mozambique. Witwatersrand Univ. Press, Johannesburg. I-iv, 163 pp.
- Kilburn, R.N. & Rippey, E. (1982) Sea Shells of Southern Africa. Macmillan South Africa, Johannesburg, xi + 249 pp. page(s): 87
- Drivas, J. & M. Jay (1988). Coquillages de La Réunion et de l'île Maurice
- Branch, G.M. et al. (2002). Two Oceans. 5th impression. David Philip, Cate Town & Johannesburg