''Morula uva'' is a species 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 in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Morula uva 01

Description

''Morula uva'' has a shell that can be either colored white or purple with rows of dark tubercles. The mouth has a shade color of light violet with toothlike projections. There are various sizes and lengths of ''M. uva'', some can be 15mm by 9mm, others can be smaller.

Distribution

''Morula uva'' can be found in the tropical Indo-Pacific, which includes: the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean off

Aldabra Aldabra is the world's second-largest coral atoll, lying south-east of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, with a distance of 1,120 k ...

, Chagos, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin and Tanzania, Iluka and

Woolgoolga Woolgoolga is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Highway (Australia), Pacific Highway, approximately 550 km north of Sydney and 365 km south of Brisbane. The closest city to Woolgoolga is ...

, New South Wales, and Hawaii.

Biology

''Morula uva'' are scavengers and hunt their prey, whether it be fellow marine gastropod mollusk or other. In boulder zone habitats, ''M. uva'' competes with ''

Drupa ricinus ''Drupa (Drupa) ricinus'', common name : prickly spotted drupe, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Subspecies * ''Drupa (Drupa) ricinus lischkei'' (Hidalgo, 1904) ...

when feeding on Denropoma.'' In mid-reef flat rocky substratum, where ''

Dendropoma ''Dendropoma'' is a genus of irregularly coiled sea snails known as "worm shells" or "worm snails". These are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Vermetidae, the worm snails. Species According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), ...

'' are less common, Morula uva feed mainly upon small individuals or small species of the herbivorous gastropod family Cerithiidae.

Uses & Cultural Significance

Uses of ''Morula uva'' vary in their design of their shells. Just like other gastropods, their shells are used for ornamental value or shaped into toys and models. Another use is artists using the shells as a canvas and paint their creative ideas onto the shell and sell them to customers.

References

* Kilburn, R.N. & Rippey, E. (1982) ''Sea Shells of Southern Africa''. Macmillan South Africa, Johannesburg, xi + 249 pp. page(s): 87 * Drivas, J. & M. Jay (1988). ''Coquillages de La Réunion et de l'île Maurice'' * Houart R., Kilburn R.N. & Marais A.P. (2010) ''Muricidae''. pp. 176–270, in: Marais A.P. & Seccombe A.D. (eds), Identification guide to the seashells of South Africa. Volume 1. Groenkloof: Centre for Molluscan Studies. 376 pp.

External links

Illustration of ''Ricinula'' shells
plate 395
legend
p. 169. "''Ricinula nodus. R. Morus'' Lamk. VII. 232. Vulgairment aussi la Mûre." is figure 6. M. Bruguiere (1791) ''Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique des trois règnes de la nature. Contenant l'helminthologie, ou les vers infusoires, les vers intestins, les vers mollusques, &c.''; Paris.

uva UVA most often refers to: * Ultraviolet A, a type of ultraviolet radiation * University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States Uva or UVA may also refer to: Places * Uva, Missouri, an unincorpora ...

Gastropods described in 1798 {{Ergalataxinae-stub