''Muricopsis rutila'', common name : the beaded drupe, 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 ...

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 ...

Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.

Subspecies

There are two subspecies: * ''Muricopsis rutila mariangelae'' Rolan & Fernandes, 1991 : this subspecies is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe (; pt, São Tomé e Príncipe (); English: " Saint Thomas and Prince"), officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe ( pt, República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe), is a Portuguese-speaking i ...

* ''Muricopsis rutila rutila'' (Reeve, 1846): this species is found in the Atlantic Ocean off

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

: represented as ''Muricopsis rutila'' (Reeve, 1846)

Description

The size of an adult shell varies between 10 mm and 20 mm.

References

* Rolàn, E. & Fernandes, F., 1991. Muricopsis (Risomurex) (Gastropoda, Muricidae) de les islas de Sao Tomé y Principe (Golfo de Guinea, Africa occidental). Apex 6(1): 11-20

External links

Reeve, L. A. (1846). Monograph of the genus Ricinula. In: Conchologia Iconica, or, illustrations of the shells of molluscous animals, vol. 3, pl. 1-6 and unpaginated text. L. Reeve & Co., London
Muricidae Molluscs of the Atlantic Ocean Invertebrates of West Africa Invertebrates of São Tomé and Príncipe Gastropods described in 1846 Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN {{Muricidae-stub