| Cerithidea decollata | |
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| Drawing of a shell of an adult Cerithidea decollata | |
| Scientific classification | |
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| Species: | C. decollata |
| Binomial name | |
| Cerithidea decollata (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
Potamides decollatus(Linnaeus, 1767) | |
Cerithidea decollata, common name the truncated mangrove snail, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Potamididae. [2]
Adults have a thick, approximately 3 cm long shell, with 5 whorls and around 20 axial ribs on each whirl. A distinguishing characteristic of adults is the broken-off tip of the shell, although this feature can be difficult to discern in some individuals. [3]
This species is common in coastal mangrove forests, particularly near Avicennia marina trees, in western part of the Indian Ocean - Kenya, Tanzania, [4] Mozambique, [5] South Africa [5] and Madagascar. [2]
Juveniles are seldom seen and therefore little is known about their ecology. The adults feed on small organic particles (detritus) and seagrasses that are brought in with the tide. [6] Their habitat is a gently sloping intertidal zone with two high and two low tides each day. There are large differences in the duration of flooding and sea level between the two high tides each day, between seasons and between places nearer to or further from the shoreline.
When the water recedes, the snails feed scattered on the ground. Then, one or two hours before the incoming tide, they start climbing on tree trunks and gather in groups of up to several dozen specimens, waiting above the water level until the sea recedes again. [7] [8] This behaviour probably makes it possible for them to avoid the unfavorable physiological effects of submersion, or possibly makes it easier to escape from marine predators such as crabs. Similar or reverse tree-climbing strategy is employed by other related species. [9]
The strategy of this particular species is unusual, because the tides are very unpredictable in this environment. The higher and lower semidiurnal tides vary in amplitude, and during neap tide, one or both high tides each day are not high enough to reach the grounds where the snails feed. The snails start climbing when the shoreline is still dozens of meters away and an hour or two before the water floods their feeding grounds. They invariably stop at a point twenty to seventy centimeters above the future water level and wait there for the tide. If the incoming high tide is too low to reach their feeding grounds, they remain on the ground until an hour before the next high tide will be high enough (especially the animals that live further inland where the shore is a bit higher and therefore more seldom flooded). [10]
It has been found out that the individuals "measure" their height by detecting the amount of energy used for climbing: when artificially loaded, the snails climbed proportionally lower, whereas they climbed higher if the tree trunk was replaced with a smoother surface or if the researchers raised the starting platform. [10] However, it is still a puzzle how the animals are able to predict the water level so far in advance. The difference in body weight caused by the fluctuation of gravity that also causes the tide is probably too low for detection by an organism this small. Chemical cues, such as hydrogen sulfide released from the ground, and acoustic cues, such as infrasound caused by the waves, are probably unreliable indicators of the water level as well, because of the local weather's influence. Every high tide is similar in amplitude to the one before the last, but the snail migration is – statistically speaking – better adjusted to the following high tide than to the one before the last. [10] The underlying process is probably regulated by an internal clock, which can be "confused" by carrying an individual to a lower or a higher part of the coastline. In this case, the animal continues to climb as it would in its original surrounding for several more days or until it gets submerged, then the mechanism "resets" and it is again able to predict the oncoming high tide reliably. [11] Since the cue used by these animals to predict the level of the incoming high tide is still a complete mystery, researchers jest that these snails can foresee the future. [10]
The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide: in other words, the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of habitats with various species of life, such as seastars, sea urchins, and many species of coral with regional differences in biodiversity. Sometimes it is referred to as the littoral zone or seashore, although those can be defined as a wider region.
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land, as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water, and amphibians, which rely on aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Some groups of insects are terrestrial, such as ants, butterflies, earwigs, cockroaches, grasshoppers and many others, while other groups are partially aquatic, such as mosquitoes and dragonflies, which pass their larval stages in water.
Potamididae, common name potamidids are a family of small to large brackish water snails that live on mud flats, mangroves and similar habitats. They are amphibious gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cerithioidea.
Littoraria irrorata, also known by the common name the marsh periwinkle, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae. The specific epithet irrorata means 'moistened' or 'dewy.'
Cerithidea is a genus of medium-sized sea snails or mud snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Potamididae, the horn snails.
The mangroves of the Straits of Malacca are found along the coast of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and northern Sumatra. These tropical mangrove forests are highly diverse, and are important wetlands with high conservation values. There are two Ramsar sites along the Strait of Malacca: Pulau Kukup and Tanjung Piai.
Pirenella alata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Potamididae. It also lives in brackish water.
Cerithidea obtusa is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Potamididae. The Obtuse Horn Shell, also known as Mud Creeper, is a relatively common snail found in muddy coastal areas. It grows to around 5–6 cm. It is used as a food in Southeast Asia, where it is known by the name of Belitung and Siput Sedut in Malay, Hoi Joob Jaeng, and Ốc Len in Vietnamese.
Cerithidea balteata is a species of snail, a brackish-water gastropod mollusk in the family Potamididae.
Cerithideopsis pliculosa, common name the plicate horn shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Potamididae.
Cerithidea quoyii is a species of brackish water snail, a gastropod mollusk in the family Potamididae.
Cerithideopsis scalariformis, commonly known as the ladder hornsnail, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Potamididae. This amphibious species occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The maximum recorded shell length is 33 mm (1.3 in).
Cerithideopsilla conica is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Potamididae.
Telescopium telescopium, commonly known as the telescope snail, is a species of snail in the horn snail family Potamididae found in mangrove habitats in the Indo-Pacific. They are large snails that can grow up to 8 to 10 cm in length and are easily recognizable by their cone-shaped shell.
Terebralia palustris, common name the giant mangrove whelk, is a species of brackish-water snail, a gastropod mollusk in the family Potamididae. This tropical species which inhabits mangrove environments of the Indo-West Pacific region, has the widest geographic distribution amongst the potamidids extending from eastern Africa to northern Australia. Terebralia palustris is the largest mangrove gastropod, with a maximum shell length of 190 mm recorded from Arnhem Land, Australia.
Cerithideopsis californica, common name the California hornsnail or the California horn snail, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Potamididae. This series was previously known as Cerithidea californica.
A marine habitat is a habitat that supports marine life. Marine life depends in some way on the saltwater that is in the sea. A habitat is an ecological or environmental area inhabited by one or more living species. The marine environment supports many kinds of these habitats.
The violet vinegar crab is a swimming crab species in the genus Episesarma. Distributed all over marine and brackish waters of Indo-West Pacific regions. It is harvested by many local fishermen for rich proteinaceous food.
The mangrove swimming crab, also called the crenate swimming crab or spiny rock crab, is a swimming crab species in the genus Thalamita. Distributed all over marine and brackish waters of Indo-West Pacific regions. It is widely used as an edible crab in many countries.
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