Struthiolaria papulosa
| Struthiolaria papulosa | |
|---|---|
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| A dorsal view of a shell of Struthiolaria papulosa | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Littorinimorpha |
| Family: | Struthiolariidae |
| Genus: | Struthiolaria |
| Species: | S. papulosa
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| Binomial name | |
| Struthiolaria papulosa (Martyn, 1784)
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| Synonyms | |
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Struthiolaria papulosa, whose common name is the ostrich foot snail or ostrich foot shell, or Tākai in Māori, is a species of medium-sized sea snail native to New Zealand.[1]
Description
[edit]Struthiolaria papulosa has an average body length of 77 mm, a body volume of 26.9 cm3 and a wet body mass of 47 g.[2] The shell is dextrally coiled.[2] The upper part of the shell is small and cone-shaped made of two swirls, called the protoconch. On this protoconch there are fine lines very close to each other.[3] The opening of the shell has an oval shape with thick, turned-out and wavy lips with a thickened area at the top of the opening.[3]
Geographic Distribution
[edit]S. papulosa is native to New Zealand but can also be found in certain places along the south and east coast of Australia.[2] In New Zealand, S. papulosa is found along the coast in both the North and South Island.[4][2]
Habitat
[edit]S. papulosa prefers shallow salt water or on sand flats in sheltered or open coasts.[5]
Life cycle
[edit]The life cycle of S. papulosa is divided in four stages: egg, larva, juvenile and adult.[4] Adult S. papulosa release their sperm and eggs into the water, which can take up to 1 hour.[6] Fertilization occurs externally, after which the fertilized egg starts developing. The egg starts forming a larval shell 9-10 hours after fertilization and, around 3 days later, the larvae grow into juvenile sea snails.[4] S. papulosa live an average of 5 years but can live up to 25 years.[6]
Ecology
[edit]Diet
[edit]S. papulosa is a filter feeder that feeds on algae, plankton and other small marine animals.[6] It filters suspended matter from the water with a specialized filtering structure, or uses its tooth-lined tongue to graze seaweed from the bottom of the sea.[7]
Predators, parasites and diseases
[edit]S. papulosa has many predators including fish, birds and reptiles.[4] The egg and larva stage are eaten by many plankton feeders but the most common S. papulosa predator is Asteroidea, especially starfish.[8] S. papulosa protects itself from being eaten by Asteroidea by repeatedly doing somersaults.[8]
Ecology
[edit]Although the origin of this snail is unclear, it is believed that S. errata is a possible ancestor.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Rosenberg, Eli S; Tesoriero, James M (2021-06-04). "A Tale of Many New York Cities". The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 224 (2): 185–187. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiab297. ISSN 0022-1899. PMC 8194901. PMID 34086945.
- ^ a b c d "Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ^ a b c Jablonski, David (1990). "Cenozoic Mollusca of New Zealand. A. G. Beu , P. A. Maxwell". The Journal of Geology. 98 (5): 799. doi:10.1086/629450. ISSN 0022-1376.
- ^ a b c d Powell, A. W. B. (1979). New Zealand mollusca: marine, land, and freshwater shells. Auckland: Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-216906-6.
- ^ Perron, F.E. (1978). "Locomotion and shell-righting behaviour in adult and juvenile Aporrhais occidentalis (Gastropoda: Strombacea)". Animal Behaviour. 26: 1023–1028. doi:10.1016/0003-3472(78)90091-x. ISSN 0003-3472.
- ^ a b c Sea snails: a natural history. New York, NY: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. 2015. ISBN 978-3-319-15451-0.
- ^ Wassilieff, Maggy (12 June 2006). "Shellfish - Sea snails". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ a b Crump, R. G. (1968-09-01). "The Flight Response In Struthiolaria Papulosa Gigas Sowerby". New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. 2 (3): 390–397. doi:10.1080/00288330.1968.9515245. ISSN 0028-8330.