Tectarius coronatus

Last updated

Tectarius coronatus
Tectarius coronatus 01.JPG
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:
Littorinoidea
Family:
Littorinidae
Genus:
Tectarius
Species:
T. coronatus
Binomial name
Tectarius coronatus

Tectarius coronatus, common name beaded prickly winkle or coronate prickly-winkle, [2] is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles. It is the type species of the genus Tectarius and is native to the limestone coasts of islands in the western Pacific Ocean.

Contents

Taxonomy

T. coronatus is the type species of the genus Tectarius and was first described by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes in 1833. [1] In 1972, Rosewater made a revision of the genus and placed it in the subgenus tectarius. [3]

Description

The species has a trochoidal shell that reaches a size of 20–40 millimetres (0.79–1.57 in). The spire is broad and surface of this shell is distinctively sculptured, being prickly or nodulose. The basic color is light orange or pale brown, with dark brown bands and a creamy-white interior. [2]

Distribution

T. coronatus is found in the tropical western Pacific Ocean, in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. It occurs on rock high in the intertidal zone, extending to considerably above the high tide mark. [4]

Ecology

It is found exclusively on karstic limestone rocks and cliffs, sometimes in the splashzone several meters above the high tide mark. [3] This is an extremely challenging environment for the mollusk where it is exposed to extreme heat, desiccation, high salinity, and sometimes low salinity (in the torrential tropical rain); in fact the genus name "Tectarius" comes from the Latin meaning "tolerant of difficult conditions" or "avoiding confrontations", while "coronatus" means "crowned". The mollusc thus avoids competition from other animals for food and is safe from many aquatic predators. [5]

Life cycle

The sexes are separate in this species, with the eggs and sperm being liberated into the sea. The fertilised eggs develop into trochophore larvae, which form part of the plankton, and later develop into veliger larvae. When sufficiently developed, these settle on the seabed and undergo metamorphosis into juvenile mollusks. [4]

Human use

The winkle is sometimes used as food, but the mollusk is more often gathered for its colorful shell. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Littoraria</i> Genus of gastropods

Littoraria is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.

Littorinidae Family of gastropods

The Littorinidae are a taxonomic family of over 200 species of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha, commonly known as periwinkles and found worldwide.

<i>Cryptella canariensis</i> Species of gastropod

Cryptella canariensis is a species of air-breathing land semislug with a small shell, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Parmacellidae. This species is also known as Parmacella canariensis.

<i>Conus coronatus</i> Species of sea snail

Conus coronatus, common name the crowned cone or the coronated cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

<i>Goniofusus turris</i> Species of gastropod

Goniofusus turris is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fasciolariidae, the spindle snails, the tulip snails and their allies.

<i>Nassarius coronatus</i> Species of gastropod

Nassarius coronatus, common name the crown nassa or the coronated dog whelk, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

<i>Lunella coronata</i> Species of gastropod

Lunella coronata, common name the crowned turban shell or the coronate moon turban, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turbinidae, the turban snails.

<i>Austrolittorina unifasciata</i> Species of gastropod

Austrolittorina unifasciata, common name the banded periwinkle, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles. It is also known as the blue periwinkle.

Echinolittorina pascua is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.

Laevilitorina caliginosa is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.

<i>Littoraria scabra</i> Species of gastropod

Littoraria scabra, common name : the mangrove periwinkle, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.

<i>Tectarius antonii</i> Species of gastropod

Tectarius antonii is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.

Tectarius niuensis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.

<i>Tectarius pagodus</i> Species of gastropod

Tectarius pagodus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae. That family is commonly known as the winkles or periwinkles.

<i>Tectarius striatus</i> Species of gastropod

Tectarius striatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.

<i>Cenchritis</i> Genus of gastropods

Cenchritis is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.

<i>Tectarius</i> Genus of gastropods

Tectarius is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.

<i>Monoplex macrodon</i> Species of gastropod

Monoplex macrodon is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae.

<i>Malea</i> (gastropod) Genus of gastropods

Malea is a genus of large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Tonnidae, the tun shells.

<i>Lirabuccinum dirum</i> Species of mollusc

Lirabuccinum dirum, commonly known as the dire whelk, the spindle shell or the spindle whelk, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks. It used to be known as Searlesia dira and Buccinum dirum before being transferred to the genus Lirabuccinum.

References

  1. 1 2 Humboldt A. von & Bonpland A. (1833). Recueil d'observations de zoologie et d'anatomie comparée, faites dans l'Océan Atlantique, dans l'intérieur du Nouveau Continent et dans la Mer du Sud pendant les années 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802 et 1803. Tome 2, Partie 2. Observations de zoologie et d'anatomie comparée. p. 271.
  2. 1 2 Tectarius (Tectarius) coronatus Gastropods
  3. 1 2 Reid, D.G.; Geller, Johnathan B. (1997). "A new ovoviviparous species of Tectarius (Gastropoda, Littorinidae) from Niue, South Pacific, with a molecular phylogeny of the genus" (PDF). Journal of Molluscan Studies. 63 (2): 207–233. doi: 10.1093/mollus/63.2.207 .
  4. 1 2 3 "Tectarius coronatus Valenciennes, 1832: coronate prickly-winkle". SeaLifeBasae. Retrieved 1 March 2018.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  5. ↑ Hanson, Michelle (2007). Ocean Oracle: What Seashells Reveal About Our True Nature. Simon and Schuster. p. 49. ISBN   978-1-4165-6543-7.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.