''Atrimitra idae'',
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
Ida's miter, is a
species of medium-sized
sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...
, a
marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
gastropod
The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...
mollusk in the
family Mitridae
Mitridae, known as mitre shells, are a taxonomic family of sea snails, widely distributed marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Mitroidea.MolluscaBase (2018). Mitridae Swainson, 1831. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http: ...
, the miters.
Distribution
This miter lives from
Northern California
Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...
,
United States, to
Baja California,
Mexico.
Description
The shell of this species is strong and heavy. The shells of adults vary from 20 to 60 mm in length. There are three
fold
Fold, folding or foldable may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Fold'' (album), the debut release by Australian rock band Epicure
*Fold (poker), in the game of poker, to discard one's hand and forfeit interest in the current pot
*Above ...
s on the
columella.
The shell itself is a pinkish-tan color, but in life the shell is covered in a strong black
periostracum
The periostracum ( ) is a thin, organic coating (or "skin") that is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including molluscs and brachiopods. Among molluscs, it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in gastropods and ...
.
The body of the animal is all pure white other than its black eye spots.
Life habits
This miter lays egg capsules attached to rock surfaces. They are yellow or transparent, and about 8mm high. In laboratory conditions, females have been observed depositing over 90 egg capsules in 4 days, and 173 in 17 days. Each capsule contains hundreds of 0.2mm eggs.
Veliger larvae hatch from the capsule after ~24 days, depending on temperature.
The species is a specialized carnivore, and can live for weeks without food.
Etymology
''Atrimitra idae'' was described as ''Mitra idae'' by
James Cosmo Melvill
Sir James Cosmo Melvill (8 June 1792 – 23 July 1861) was a British administrator who served as the last secretary of the East India Company.
Life
Born at Guernsey, he was the third but eldest surviving son of Philip Melvill (1762–1811), ...
in 1893, who named the species after conchologist
Ida Shepard Oldroyd
Ida Shepard Oldroyd (1856–1940) was an American conchologist and Curator of Geology at Stanford University for over 20 years, who curated what was for a time the second largest collection of mollusk shells in the world. Oldroyd and her husband ...
.
References
* McLean, James H., 1978 ''Marine Shells of Southern California'', Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Museum, Science Series 24, Revised Edition: p. 49-50
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3171067
Mitridae
Gastropods described in 1893
Molluscs of North America