Comitas murrawolga

Comitas murrawolga
Shell of Comitas murrawolga (specimen at MNHN, Paris)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Superfamily:	Conoidea
Family:	Pseudomelatomidae
Genus:	Comitas
Species:	C. murrawolga
Binomial name
Comitas murrawolga (Garrard, 1961)
Synonyms [1]
Turricula murrawolgaGarrard, 1961 (basionym)

Comitas murrawolga is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Pseudomelatomidae. ^[1]

Description

Comitas murrawolga is a predatory turrid gastropod with shell adaptations suited to deeper marine environments.^{[ citation needed ]} It plays a role in benthic ecosystems by preying on smaller invertebrates, contributing to trophic dynamics. While the species is not currently evaluated for conservation status, potential threats include habitat disruption from trawling activities, pollution, and ocean acidification affecting shell formation. The length of the shell attains 76 mm. ^[2]

Distribution

This marine species occurs off the Philippines, New Caledonia, and Australia (specifically off New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia). In Australia, it is recorded from areas such as Mooloolabah in Queensland to the Great Australian Bight, at depths of 75 to 180 meters. It is a rare species in these habitats. ^[3]

References

1. Tucker, J. (2010). Comitas murrawolga (Garrard, 1961). In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at (http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=433354) on 2012-04-05
2. Garrard, T.A. 1961. Mollusca collected by M. V. "Challenger" off the east coast of Australia. Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia 5: 3–38.
3. Beechey, D. 2004. Comitas murrawolga (Garrard, 1961). Seashells of New South Wales.

Further reading

• Powell, A.W.B. 1968. The turrid shellfish of Australian waters. Australian Natural History 1 16: 1–6
• Powell, A.W.B. 1969. The family Turridae in the Indo-Pacific. Part. 2. The subfamily Turriculinae. Indo-Pacific Mollusca 2(10): 207–415, pls 188–324
• Wilson, B. 1994. Australian marine shells. Prosobranch gastropods. Kallaroo, WA : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 2 370 pp.
• Sysoev A. & Bouchet P. (2001) New and uncommon turriform gastropods (Gastropoda: Conoidea) from the South-West Pacific. In: P. Bouchet & B.A. Marshall (eds), Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos, volume 22. Mémoires du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle 185: 271–320
• Tucker, J.K. 2004. Catalog of recent and fossil turrids (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Zootaxa 682: 1–1295. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.682.1.1