''Neothais marginatra'', common name : the brownish 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 ...

of sea snail, a marine gastropod

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 group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly known as murex snails or rock snails. With about 1,600 living species, the Muricidae represent almost 10% of the Neoga ...

, the murex snails or rock snails.

Description

The shell size varies between 20 mm and 45 mm

Distribution

This marine species occurs in the Indian Ocean off Aldabra, the

Mascarene The Mascarene Islands (, ) or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of the islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of Réunion. Thei ...

Basin, the coast of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

; in the Pacific Ocean off

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, the

Fiji Islands Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

Samoan Islands The Samoan Islands ( sm, Motu o Sāmoa) are an archipelago covering in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania. Administratively, the archipelago comprises all of the Independent State of Samoa an ...

and

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

; off Australia (''Northern Territory'',

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

References

* Küster, H.C. 1862. ''Die Gattung Ricinula''. 1–24, pls 1–5 in Kobelt, W. & Küster, H.C. (eds.). Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet. Nürnberg : Bauer & Raspe. * Melvill, J.C. 1901. ''A few further remarks upon the Erythraen molluscan fauna, with descriptions of seven species of Aden, in the collection of Commander E.R. Shopland, RIM''. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 7 42: 550–556 * Taylor, J.D. (1971).'' Intertidal Zonation at Aldabra Atoll''. Phil. Trns. Roy. Soc. Lond. B. 260, 173–213 * Taylor, J.D. (1973). ''Provisional list of the mollusca of Aldabra Atoll'' * MacNae, W. & M. Kalk (eds) (1958). ''A natural history of Inhaca Island, Mozambique''. Witwatersrand Univ. Press, Johannesburg. I-iv, 163 pp * Drivas, J. & M. Jay (1988). ''Coquillages de La Réunion et de l'île Maurice'' * Tan, K.S. 1995. ''Taxonomy of Thais and Morula (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Muricidae) in Singapore and Vicinity''. 546 pp. * Tan, K.S. & Chou, L.M. 2000. ''A Guide to Common Seashells of Singapore''. Singapore : Singapore Science Centre 168 pp.
Claremont M., Vermeij G.J., Williams S.T. & Reid D.G. (2013) ''Global phylogeny and new classification of the Rapaninae (Gastropoda: Muricidae), dominant molluscan predators on tropical rocky seashores''. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 66: 91–102

External links

* Muricidae Gastropods described in 1832 {{Muricidae-stub