''Margarites groenlandicus'',
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 ...
the Greenland margarite or wavy top shell, 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 ...
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 ...
, a marine
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 ...
Margaritidae
Margaritidae is a family of small sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Trochoidea (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).Bouchet, P. (2012). Margaritidae. Accessed through: World Register ...
.
There are two subspecies :
* ''Margarites groenlandicus groenlandicus''
(Gmelin, 1791)
* ''Margarites groenlandicus kurilensis''
Golikov & Gulbin, 1978
* ''Margarites groenlandicus umbilicalis''
Broderip & Sowerby, 1829 (synonym : ''Margarites umbilicalis'' Broderip & Sowerby, 1829)
Description
The wavy top shell is thin-shelled and rather small with a maximum length of 1.9 cm (¾ inch) and a compressed spire. The color of the glossy shell is cream to brown. It contains 4-5
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 ...
, with the body whorl the largest. The sutures are wavy. The shell is smooth or with about 12 smooth spiral ridges. The broad
umbilicus is funnel-shaped. The
nacre
Nacre ( , ), also known as mother of pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent.
Nacre is f ...
ous
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 ...
is oval with the long axis inclined to the left. It is also prosocline, i.e. with the growth lines leaning forward (adapically) with respect to the direction of the cone. The outer
lip is thin. The sexes are separate but seldom differ externally. They are at the same time
hermaphrodite
In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes.
Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...
s but self-fertilization is prevented by anatomical mechanisms. The species is a suspension or deposit feeder.
Distribution and habitat
This species occurs across the Northern Atlantic Ocean, Greenland, the western coast of Norway, rarely along the British coast, the Gulf of Maine to Massachusetts Bay. It can be found from near the seashore to the
bathyal zone
The bathypelagic zone or bathyal zone (from Greek βαθύς (bathýs), deep) is the part of the open ocean that extends from a depth of below the ocean surface. It lies between the mesopelagic above, and the abyssopelagic below. The bathypelagi ...
.
References
* Gmelin, J. F. 1791. ''Systema naturae per regna tria naturae. Editio decima tertia''. Systema Naturae, 13th ed., vol. 1(6): 3021-3910. Lipsiae.
* Broderip, W. J. and G. B. Sowerby. 1829. ''Observations on new or interesting Mollusca contained, for the most part, in the museum of the Zoological Society.'' Zoological Journal 4: 359-379, pl. 9
* Sowerby, G. B., I. 1838. ''A descriptive catalogue of the species of Leach's genus Margarita''. Malacological and Conchological Magazine 1: 23-27.
* Möller, H. P. C. 1842. ''Index molluscorum Groenlandiae''. Naturhistorisk Tidsskrift 4: 76-97.
* Baker, F. C. 1919. ''Mollusca of the Crocker Land Expedition to Northwest Greenland and Grinnell Island''. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 41: 479-517, pls. 25-27
* P.J.; Ryland, J.S. (Ed.) (1990). ''The marine fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe: 1. Introduction and protozoans to arthropods''. Clarendon Press: Oxford, UK. . 627 pp
* Turgeon, D.D., et al. 1998. ''Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates of the United States and Canada''. American Fisheries Society Special Publication 26 page(s): 60
* 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
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3139959
groenlandicus
Gastropods described in 1791