Colubraria reticulata
| Colubraria reticulata | |
|---|---|
_-_Colubrariidae_-_Mollusc_shell.jpeg) | |
| Shells of Colubraria reticulata | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Buccinoidea |
| Family: | Colubrariidae |
| Genus: | Colubraria |
| Species: | C. reticulata |
| Binomial name | |
| Colubraria reticulata (de Blainville, 1829) | |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
| |
Colubraria reticulata[1][3] or Cumia reticulata[2] is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Colubrariidae.
It is commonly known as the vampire snail because it feeds on the blood of fishes when they are asleep. Colubraria reticulata are commonly found in rocky and coral environments that are tropical or subtropical and temperate seas.[3]
Disttibution
The type locality is Sicily.
Feeding habits
The vampire snail possesses a long thin proboscis to feed on the blood of the fishes. Once contact is made between the proboscis and the skin of the fish, the proboscis extends its length to gain access to the blood vessel.[3]
Secretion of Bioactive Molecules
Upon contact with the skin, anesthetic is secreted to numb the area. Common anesthetics from protein families ShK, Turripeptide, ADA, and CAP-ShK were found to be present during hematophagy. In addition, anticoagulants such as PS1, Meprin, and Kunitz were also present to prevent blood clotting. Furthermore, vasopressives were found and because the proboscis is thin, it is hypothesized for vasopressives to increase blood pressure to allow maximization of blood income and feeding time.[3]
Turritoxin which is unique to the vampire snail, is also produced by coneshell. Although the function of turritoxin is specifically unknown to the vampire snail, scientists have looked towards coneshell and hypothesized that the use of turritoxin is of the same manner.[3]
References
- 1 2 "Colubraria reticulata". CLEMAM, accessed 28 January 2016.
- 1 2 Cumia reticulata (de Blainville, 1829). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 29 September 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Modica, Maria; Lombardo, Fabrizio; Franchini, Paolo (2015). "The venomous cocktail of the vampire snail Colubraria reticulata (Mollusca, Gastropoda)" (PDF). BMC Genomics.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cumia reticulata.