Nerita polita

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Nerita polita
Nerita polita 01.JPG
Five views of a shell of Nerita polita
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Neritimorpha
Order: Cycloneritida
Family: Neritidae
Genus: Nerita
Species:
N. polita
Binomial name
Nerita polita
Synonyms
  • Nerita (Linnerita) polita Linnaeus, 1758 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Nerita arriacaRöding, 1798
  • Nerita bidensLinnaeus, 1758
  • Nerita bifasciataGmelin, 1791
  • Nerita flavaMörch, 1852
  • Nerita flavescensDillwyn, 1817
  • Nerita hieroglyphicaDillwyn, 1817
  • Nerita larvaGmelin, 1791
  • Nerita lineolataGray, 1858
  • Nerita opacaRöding, 1798
  • Nerita pictaHumphrey, 1797 (unavailable name: published in a work placed on the Official Index)

Nerita polita is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Neritidae, [2] commonly known as polished nerite or kupe'e in Hawaiian. [3] It is a marine snail that has the ability to provide significant resources such as proteins, vitamins, minerals. [4]

Contents

Description

Nerita polita has a distinctively smooth and polished shell that is up to 4 cm in size. [5] It has a smooth columella with 2–4 weak teeth on the edge. [5] The shellʻs color is variable: mottled grey, red or cream, sometimes with thin or thick axial bands [6] or a chevron pattern with white and gray spirals. [6] [5] The operculum is smooth, and is cream to black in color. [5] The inside of the shell is mostly white, with a tint of yellow, and no teeth. [3]

Nerita polita is exposed to fresh sewage and heavy metals due to the industrialization and urbanization. [3]

Distribution and habitat

Nerita polita is found in the tropical Indo-Pacific. [5] It is mostly found in the intertidal, burring into the sand at the base of basalt formations and limestone near the shore. [3] It can also be found on fine sandy shores and the littoral fringe of rocky shores. [5] They tend to come out when the tide is low to reproduce and feed. [3] When the tide begins to rise they head towards their resting spots. [3]

Distribution of Nerita polita include:

Cultural significance

Kupe'e are used for decorations for hula dancing, specifically wrist and ankle adornments, other embellishments can be a neck lei, made from the snail's shell. [3] This snail's presence holds value to the Hawaiian culture as it is a part of the hula performances. [3] In hawaiʻi, it is also used for food. [7] People in Hawai'i eat it in multiple different styles like raw and boiled. [7]

References

This article incorporates CC-BY-SA-3.0 text from the reference. [5]

  1. ↑ Linnaeus C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentius Salvius: Holmiae. ii, 824 pp.
  2. ↑ Nerita polita Linnaeus, 1758 . Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species  on 5 May 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kalei, Heather Nahaku (January 2018). "Understanding Kūpeʻe (Nerita polita) Gonad Development and Demography for Continued Use at Two Sites on Hawaiʻi Island".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ↑ Hassan, A. H.; Alhazmi, N. S.; Filimban, A. Ar.; Alsulami, M. N. (2021-12-25). "Alterations in lipids and minerals in relation to larval trematode infections of Nerita polita marine snails". Helminthologia. 58 (4): 346–355. doi:10.2478/helm-2021-0039. ISSN   1336-9083. PMC   8776302 .
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Krijnen, C. (2010). Nerita (Linnerita) polita. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=216249 on 2010-12-14
  6. 1 2 Grüneberg, Hans (January 1997). "Pseudo-polymorphism in Nerita polita (Neritacea, Archaeogastropoda)" . Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences. 212 (1186): 53–63. doi:10.1098/rspb.1981.0024.
  7. 1 2 Munyasya, JN (July 25, 2015). "Biochemical Effects of Sewage Pollution on the Benthic Organism Nerita polita". Environmental & Analytical Toxicology: 7.
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