''Ericusa'' 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 ...

s 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.Bail, P. (2010). Ericusa. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=382335 on 2010-12-15

Distribution

''Ericusa'' are endemic to Australia. They are found in temperate waters from southern Queensland to southern Western Australia.

Shell description

The shells of ''Ericusa'' have a small rounded

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 ...

, are biconical with a rounded shoulder and have an elongate

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 ...

with 4 distinct

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r plicae and a thickened outer lip. The

whorls A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral d ...

are regular, smooth and convex. The

is globose and deviates 45° from the axis of the shell. The colour pattern of ''Ericusa'' is pink or yellow brown overlaid with a varied brown pattern. The largest species with shells exceeding 200 mm in length are ''Ericusa fulgetrum'' and ''Ericusa sowerbyi''.

Biology

''Ericusa'' are nocturnal and prey on invertebrates. They have a large foot and siphon and they lay relatively large solitary eggs."Shells Alive" Coleman N., Rigby, 1981.

Taxonomy

Several infraspecific taxa of ''Ericusa fulgetra'' have been named, on the basis of colour patterns of the shell.

Species

* '' Ericusa fulgetrum'' (Sowerby I, 1825) * '' Ericusa papillosa'' (Swainson, 1822) * '' Ericusa sericata'' Thornley, 1951 * '' Ericusa sowerbyi'' (Kiener, 1839)

References

* Bail, P & Poppe, G. T. 2001. ''A conchological iconography: a taxonomic introduction of the recent Volutidae''. Hackenheim-Conchbook, 30 pp, 5 pl.

External links

Gastropods.com : Ericusa; accessed : 15 December 2010] {{Taxonbar, from=Q5388240 Volutidae