Neverita duplicata
Encyclopedia
Neverita duplicata, common name
the shark eye, is a species
of predatory sea snail
, a marine
gastropod mollusk in the family
Naticidae
, the moon snails.
and other parts of New England
, south to Florida
and other states on the Gulf of Mexico
, south to Honduras.
of the shell is often a dark blue in fresh shells, which can make the shell somewhat resemble an eye. On the underside there is a large brown callus
which partly blocks the umbilicus
of the shell.
The maximum recorded shell
length is 82 mm.
Minimum recorded depth is 0 m. Maximum recorded depth is 58 m.
" circular hole through the shell of its prey species, and then feeds on the soft tissue within.
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
the shark eye, is a species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of predatory sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
, a marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
gastropod mollusk in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Naticidae
Naticidae
Naticidae, common name the moon snails, is a family of minute to large-sized predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha.Naticidae is the only family in the superfamily Naticoidea....
, the moon snails.
Distribution
This is a common western Atlantic species. It is found from MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and other parts of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, south to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and other states on the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, south to Honduras.
Description
The shell has a flattened globular shape, and reaches about 88 to 90 mm (3.5 to 3.5 ) in maximum dimension. The color of the shell is variable, but is often a greyish brown. The central apexApex (mollusc)
Apex is an anatomical term for the tip of the mollusc shell of a gastropod, scaphopod, or cephalopod mollusc.-Gastropods:The word "apex" is most often used to mean the tip of the spire of the shell of a gastropod...
of the shell is often a dark blue in fresh shells, which can make the shell somewhat resemble an eye. On the underside there is a large brown callus
Parietal callus
A parietal callus is a feature of the shell anatomy of some groups of snails, i.e. gastropods. It is a thickened calcareous deposit which may be present on the parietal wall of the aperture of the adult shell. The parietal wall is the margin of the aperture and part of the wall of the body whorl...
which partly blocks the umbilicus
Umbilicus (mollusk)
The umbilicus of a shell is the axially aligned, hollow cone-shaped space within the whorls of a coiled mollusc shell. The term umbilicus is often used in descriptions of gastropod shells, i.e...
of the shell.
The maximum recorded shell
Gastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
length is 82 mm.
Habitat
This moon snail is found on sandy shores just below the low tide line. The empty shell is very commonly washed up on beaches.Minimum recorded depth is 0 m. Maximum recorded depth is 58 m.
Feeding habits
The shark eye (like all moon snails) is predatory, feeding mainly on bivalves buried in the sand. This snail drills a neat "countersunkCountersink
A countersink is a conical hole cut into a manufactured object, or the cutter used to cut such a hole. A common usage is to allow the head of a countersunk bolt or screw, when placed in the hole, to sit flush with or below the surface of the surrounding material...
" circular hole through the shell of its prey species, and then feeds on the soft tissue within.
External links
- Neverita duplicata at Jax Shells
- Neverita duplicata, Gastropods.com, accessed 16 January 2011