Species of gastropod
Tenguella granulata
|
|
A shell of Tenguella granulata
|
Scientific classification
|
Domain:
|
Eukaryota
|
Kingdom:
|
Animalia
|
Phylum:
|
Mollusca
|
Class:
|
Gastropoda
|
Subclass:
|
Caenogastropoda
|
Order:
|
Neogastropoda
|
Family:
|
Muricidae
|
Genus:
|
Tenguella
|
Species:
|
T. granulata
|
Binomial name
|
Tenguella granulata
(Duclos, 1832)
|
Synonyms
[1]
|
- Drupa granulata (Duclos, 1832)
- Drupa tuberculata (
Blainville, 1832)
- Morula (Morulina) ceylonica Dall, 1923
- Morula tuberculata (Blainville, 1832)
- Morula granulata
- Purpura cingulifera Kiener, 1835
- Purpura granulata Duclos, 1832 (
basionym)
- Purpura tuberculata Blainville, 1832
- Ricinula tuberculata (Blainville, 1832)
- Sistrum chrysalis Sowerby, G.B. III, 1904
- Sistrum granulatum Duclos, 1832
|
Tenguella granulata,
common name the mulberry shell or the granulated drupe, is a
species of
sea snail, a marine
gastropod
mollusk in the
family
Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.
[1]
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]
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 off
Aldabra Atoll,
Chagos, East Coast of South Africa,
Transkei,
Natal,
Kenya,
Madagascar, the
Mascarene Basin,
Mozambique and
Tanzania, and in the Indo-West Pacific; also off Australia (
Northern Territory,
Queensland,
Western Australia).
Fossils have been found in
Quaternary strata of the
Seychelles and
Vanuatu, age range: 0.126 to 0.012 Ma
- Duclos, M. 1832. Description de quelques espèces de Pourpres, servant de type a six sections establies dans ce Genre. Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Paris 26: 103-113
- Blainville, H.M.D. de 1832. Disposition méthodique des espèces récentes et fossiles des genres Pourpre, Ricinule. Nouvelles Annales du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle. Paris 1: 189-263
- Sowerby, G.B. (3rd) 1908. Descriptions of eight new species of marine mollusca. Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London 8: 16-19, pl. 11
- 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
- Wilson, B. 1994. Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods. Kallaroo, WA : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 2 370 pp.
- Tan, K.S. 1995. Taxonomy of Thais and Morula (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Muricidae) in Singapore and Vicinity. 546 pp.
- P. Jensen. 1996. Common Seashells of Coastal Northern Queensland
- Middelfart, P. 1997. An illustrated checklist of Muricidae (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) from the Andaman Sea, Thailand. Phuket Marine Biological Center Special Publication 17(2): 349-388
- Branch, G.M. et al. (2002). Two Oceans. 5th impression. David Philip, Cate Town & Johannesburg
|
---|
Tenguella granulata | |
---|
Morula granulata | |
---|