''Cymbiolacca'' is a small taxonomic

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of medium-sized

predatory Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

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 ...

mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

in the family

Volutidae ''Volutidae'', common name volutes, are a taxonomic family of predatory sea snails that range in size from 9 mm to over 500 mm. They are marine gastropod mollusks. Most of the species have no operculum. Distribution This family of sea snails ...

, the volutes. This genus is often treated as a subgenus of ''

Cymbiola ''Cymbiola'' is a genus of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Volutidae, the volutes.Bail, P. (2010). Cymbiola Swainson, 1831. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. A ...

'' Swainson, 1831.

Distribution

''Cymbiolacca'' species live in colonies on and near the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Australia, and on reefs in the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the Fre ...

. They live in coral sand substrates on intertidal reef platforms to depths of over 100 m. Populations or colonies of ''Cymbiolacca'' are usually narrowly endemic.

Shell description

The shells of ''Cymbiolacca'' have a small conical (usually ribbed)

protoconch A protoconch (meaning first or earliest or original shell) is an embryonic or larval shell which occurs in some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod. In older texts it is also called ...

, a solid glossy shell with a spiny shoulder (sometimes reduced) and an elongate aperture with 4 distinct columellar plicae. The colour pattern of ''Cymbiolacca'' is polymorphic, the base colour is white and it is usually overlaid with axial lines, dashes or dots and a pink, orange, red or brown tented pattern. The largest species (reaching 140 mm in length) are '' Cymbiolacca thatcheri'' from reeftops in the Coral Sea and a population of '' Cymbiolacca intruderi'' from deep water outside the Great Barrier Reef north east of

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

. The most widespread and polymorphic species is '' Cymbiolacca pulchra'' from the

Biology

''Cymbiolacca'' are mostly nocturnal and prey on other

gastropods 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. Ther ...

. During the day they remain buried in coral sand. At night the emerge and crawl on top of the sand searching for prey. They envelop prey with their colourful foot and bury in the sand to consume it. Like other

''Cymbiolacca'' have internal fertilization and lay eggs from which snail develop directly. There is no pelagic stage. This has resulted in a wide variety of forms, each endemic to a particular population.

Taxonomy

The polymorphic, narrowly endemic populations of ''Cymbiolacca'' have caused some taxonomists to apply many names at the species and subspecific levels to this genus. Further studies of the phylogeny of this group may be able to resolve this issue and provide a stable taxonomy. Image:P1161304.JPG, from near Broadhurst Reef Image:Cymbiolacca pulchra wisemani.JPG, from Keeper Reef

References

* Bail P. & Limpus A. (1998). ''The "pulchra complex"''. Evolver, Rome, . * Wilson B. (1994). ''Australian marine shells 2''. Odyssey Publishing, Kallaroo, Western Australia, {{DEFAULTSORT:Cymbiolacca Volutidae