''Nassarius glans'', common name the acorn dog whelk, 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 ...

mollusc 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 esti ...

in the family

Nassariidae The Nassariidae, Nassa mud snails (USA), or dog whelks (UK), are a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Neogastropoda. "Dog whelk" also refers to ''Nucella lapillus''. Shell description T ...

, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

Subspecies

* ''Nassarius glans fenwicki'' Kilburn, 1972: synonym of ''

Nassarius fenwicki ''Nassarius'', common name nassa mud snails (USA) or dog whelks (UK), is a genus of minute to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Nassariidae.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2010). Nassarius Duméril, 1806. In: Bouchet, P.; ...

'' Kilburn, 1972 * ''Nassarius glans glans'' ( Linnaeus,

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the sta ...

): represented as ''Nassarius glans'' (Linnaeus, 1758) (alternate representation) * ''Nassarius glans particeps'' (Hedley, 1915)

Description

The length of the shell varies between 15 mm and 50 mm. The rather thin, smooth shell is ovate and conical. Its ground color is whitish, with spots of a more or less dark red, and upon the lower

whorl 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 ...

, a very large spot of the same tint, but deeper. Upon the convexity of this whorl, may be counted nine or ten distant, parallel and transverse lines of a bright chestnut color, sometimes brown, at other times blackish. The spire is composed of eight whorls, the three lower of which are smooth, and the other five marked with small longitudinal folds, slightly arcuated. The ovate aperture is widened towards the base, which is deeply emarginated, terminated above by a small dilated canal, which is formed by a re-entering angle from the outer lip, and a transverse tooth from the left lip. The outer lip is arcuated towards the top, thinner from the middle to the base, and armed in this part with five conical, pointed teeth, the lowest of which are longest. It is ornamented in the interior with a great number of small, very fine transverse striae. The left lip forms a plate which laps over upon the body of the shell, and gives rise to a small projecting keel, which is terminated below by a pointed and oblique tooth, from whence a rounded fold is given out, which is observed to wind spirally into the cavity.Kiener (1840). General species and iconography of recent shells : comprising the Massena Museum, the collection of Lamarck, the collection of the Museum of Natural History, and the recent discoveries of travellers; Boston :W.D. Ticknor,1837
(described as ''Buccinum glans'')

Distribution

This species occurs in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean off

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

, Mauritius and the Mascarene Basin; in the Indo-West Pacific.

References

* Drivas, J.; Jay, M. (1987). ''Coquillages de La Réunion et de l'Île Maurice.'' Collection Les Beautés de la Nature. Delachaux et Niestlé: Neuchâtel. . 159 pp.

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q6967467 Nassariidae Gastropods described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus