''Modulus modulus'', commonly known as the buttonsnail, 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 small

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 ...

Modulidae Modulidae, common name modulids, is a family of small sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cerithioidea. According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) the family Modulidae has no subfamilies. Genera ...

Distribution

The distribution of this species includes both the east and west coast of Florida.

Description

The maximum recorded shell length is 16.5 mm.Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". '' PLOS One'' 5(1): e8776. . The overall shape of the shell is button-like, with a gray or brown streaked, ridge-sculptured body whorl and a low spire.

Habitat

The minimum recorded depth is 0 m. The maximum recorded depth is 105 m.
Found in shell grit and coral sand, among sea grass beds -at 2 to 3 feet depth.

References

* Florida's Living Beaches by Blair and Dawn Witherington, 2010, Pineapple Press, Inc.

External links

* Modulidae Gastropods described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Modulidae-stub