''Drupella'' is a
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
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 ...
s,
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
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 e ...
s in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Muricidae
Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly known as murex snails or rock snails. With about 1,600 living species, the Muricidae represent almost 10% of the Neogas ...
, the murex snails or rock snails.
This genus was placed in the family Muricidae by Drivas & Jay, 1988 and by Richmond, 1997.
Description
''Drupella'' can be recognised by their extremely long, thin lateral teeth. The shells and
radulae vary considerably even within species, complicating the taxonomy of the genus. The colour of the shell
aperture
In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane.
An opt ...
varies from white to purple. Some species show
sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...
in their radulae, with males having larger rachidian teeth than females.
Diet
Snails of this genus are specialist predators of
coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...
polyps.
Species
Species within the genus ''Drupella'' include:
* ''
Drupella cornus''
( Röding, 1798)
* ''
Drupella eburnea''
(Küster, 1862)
* ''
Drupella fragum
''Drupella fragum'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family (biology), family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.
Description
Distribution
References
Muricidae
Gastropods described in 1832
{{Mu ...
''
( Blainville, 1832)
* ''
Drupella minuta''
Fujioka, 1984
* ''
Drupella rugosa
''Drupella rugosa'', common name : the rugose drupe, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.
Description
''Drupella rugosa'' is a creamy white to orange, conical shell wi ...
''
(Born, 1778)
* ''
Drupella margariticola''
[MolluscaBase (2018). ''Drupella margariticola'' (Broderip, 1833). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=576817 on 2019-01-06]
; Species brought into synonymy :
* ''Drupella cariosa''
Wood: synonym of ''
Muricodrupa fenestrata
''Muricodrupa fenestrata'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.
Description
The shell size varies between 17 mm and 45 mm.
Distribution
This species occurs ...
''
( Blainville, 1832)
* ''Drupella fraga''
( Blainville, 1832) accepted as ''Drupella fragum''
( Blainville, 1832)
* ''Drupella ochrostoma''
( Blainville, 1832):
synonym of ''
Pascula ochrostoma''
( Blainville, 1832)
References
* Taylor, J.D. (1973). ''Provisional list of the mollusca of Aldabra Atoll''
External links
Muricidae
{{Ergalataxinae-stub