Ranularia caudata

Ranularia caudata
Apertural view of Ranularia caudatua (Gmelin, 1791)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Cymatiidae
Genus:	Ranularia
Species:	R. caudata
Binomial name
Ranularia caudata (Gmelin, 1791)
Synonyms [1]
Buccinum costatumMeuschen, F.C., 1787 Cymatium (Ranularia) caudatum(Gmelin, J.F., 1791) Murex caudatusGmelin, 1791 (basionym) Triton canaliferumLamarck, 1822 Tritonium varicosumLink, 1807 Tritonocauda caudata(Gmelin, 1791) Tritonocauda caudata vulticulaIredale, 1936

Ranularia caudata, common name the bent-neck triton, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae. ^[1]

Description

(Described in Latin as Triton canaliferumLamarck, 1822) The shell is somewhat pear-shaped and features a distinct siphonal canal at the base. The surface is sculpted with transverse furrows and longitudinal, fold-like nodules, which create a slightly decussated (criss-crossed) texture. Its coloration is a tawny-white.

The whorls are channeled at the sutures, and the spire is notably short. The most striking feature is the siphonal canal, which is remarkably slender and graceful. ^[2]

The size of a shell of an adult snail varies between 38 mm and 94 mm.

Distribution

This species occurs in the Indo-West Pacific along Tanzania.

References

1. Ranularia caudata (Gmelin, 1791) . Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species  on 6 December 2018.
2. Lamarck, [J.-B. M.] de (1822). Histoire naturelle des animaux sans vertèbres. Tome septième, 711 pp. Paris: privately published. p. 184. Retrieved 7 February 2026.

External links

• Gmelin, J.F. (1791). Caroli a Linné Systema Naturae, ed. 13. Tome 1(6). Vermes. Leipzig: G. E. Beer. pp. 3021–3910. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
• Link, D.H.F. (1806–1808). [ttps://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/43301237 Beschreibung der Naturalien-Sammlung der Universität zu Rostock]. Rostock: Adlers Erben. p. 122.
• Iredale, T. (1936). "Australian molluscan notes, no. 2". Records of the Australian Museum. 19 (5): 308.
• "Cymatium (Ranularia) caudatum". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 12 May 2011.