''Triviella ovulata'',
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
"baby's toes", is a
species 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
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
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 Triviidae, the trivias.
Distribution
This snail is known around the
South African __NOTOC__
South African may relate to:
* The nation of South Africa
* South African Airways
* South African English
* South African people
* Languages of South Africa
* Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ...
coast from the Cape Peninsula to Coffee Bay in depths of 8–30 m. This species is
endemic to the area.
Description
''Triviella ovulata'' has a plump, round, white to deep pink shell. In life the shell is usually completely covered with the white mantle, which is variably spotted with black.
[BRANCH, G.M., BRANCH, M.L, GRIFFITHS, C.L. and BECKLEY, L.E (2005): ''Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa'' ] It reaches a maximum size of 40 mm.
Ecology
This snail is usually found among colonial
ascidians, on which it feeds. The snail first drills a hole in the wall of the colony, then eats its fill and finally lays its capsule-shaped egg cases in the resulting cavity. The black-spotted form of this animal resembles
Mandela's nudibranch, ''Mandelia mirocornata'', which may cause fish predators to avoid it.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7844673
Triviidae
Gastropods described in 1810