''Linatella caudata'', common name : the Girdled triton or Poulsen's Triton, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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 ...

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 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 ...

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 ...

Cymatiidae Cymatiidae is a family of large sea snails in the superfamily Tonnoidea and the order Littorinimorpha. Members of this family are predators. Genera The family Cymatiidae contains the following genera: * '' Argobuccinum'' Herrmannsen, 1846 * '' ...

Distribution

This species is very widespread (but uncommon). It is present in European waters, in the Mediterraneal Sea, in the Western Atlantic from South Carolina to Brazil, in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

, in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean along

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

and in the Indo-West Pacific as far north as southern Japan.

Habitat

These sea snails are usually found in

seagrass meadow A seagrass meadow or seagrass bed is an underwater ecosystem formed by seagrasses. Seagrasses are marine (saltwater) plants found in shallow coastal waters and in the brackish waters of estuaries. Seagrasses are flowering plants with stems and ...

s. They live only on soft substrates on the shelf at depths of 20 to 200 m.Tritons & Trumpet Shell (Phylum Mollusca: Family Ranellidae) of Singapore
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/ref> Ranellidae - Linatella caudata

Description

The size of an adult shell varies between 35 mm and 100 mm. These medium-sized shells are extremely variable in size, thickness, prominence, quantity of flare of the outer lip and thickness and width of the inner lip. Also very variable are the spire height and the intensity of the surface coloration. Commonly they have a hairy appearance and are solid and thick and show a Tonna-like form and moderately tall spire, with a very weak sculpture of low, weakly convex surfaced, spiral cords. The whorls are weak shouldered. They lack obvious varices or only the terminal varix is developed. The outer lip is flared and slightly thickened, with weakly shouldered whorls. The anterior siphonal canal is moderately long. The interior of outer lip flare has sixteen low transverse ridges. The exterior surface of the shell varies between cream to pale yellowish-brown, with irregular, narrow light and darker bands. The body of these sea snails are brownish with black spots.

Biology

These sea snails have been reported as feeding on Fan Shells ('' Pinna bicolor'') and on the pearl oyster ('' Pinctada imbricata''). Consequently, they are considered a serious problem for the aquaculture of marine bivalves.

References

External links

Cote Bleue

Bibliography

* Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2015). Cymatium cutaceum (Lamarck, 1816). * Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). ''Mollusca, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification.'' Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 180–213 * Rolán E., 2005. ''Malacological Fauna From The Cape Verde Archipelago. Part 1, Polyplacophora and Gastropoda''. * Spry, J.F. (1961). ''The sea shells of Dar es Salaam: Gastropods''. Tanganyika Notes and Records 56 * Turgeon, D. D., A. E. Bogan, E. V. Coan, W. K. Emerson, W. G. Lyons, W. Pratt, et al. (1988) Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: mollusks, American Fisheries Society Special Publication 16 * Turgeon, D. D., J. F. Quinn, Jr., A. E. Bogan, E. V. Coan, F. G. Hochberg, W. G. Lyons, et al. (1998) Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Mollusks, 2nd ed., American Fisheries Society Special Publication 26 {{Taxonbar, from=Q3167323 Cymatiidae Gastropods described in 1791 Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin Molluscs of the Atlantic Ocean Molluscs of the Indian Ocean Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean Molluscs of the Mediterranean Sea