Terebralia palustris | |
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Terebralia palustris | |
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Terebralia palustris | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Family: | Potamididae |
Genus: | Terebralia |
Species: | T. palustris |
Binomial name | |
Terebralia palustris (Linnaeus, 1767) | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Terebralia palustris, commonly known as the giant mangrove whelk, is a species of brackish-water snail, a mollusk in the family Potamididae. [1] This tropical species which inhabits mangrove environments of the Indo-West Pacific region, [2] has the widest geographic distribution amongst the potamidids [3] 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. [2]
This species has the widest distribution range of any Terebralia species. [2] Its Western Pacific distribution extends south from the Ryukyus to the Philippines and across Borneo, New Guinea and tropical Australia. Eastwards, T. palustris is found as far as Palau as well the New Hebrides and New Caledonia. [2]
The Indian Ocean occurrence of Terebralia palustris includes mangrove habitats throughout Indonesia and regions of South East Asia including India and Ceylon. The species has also been reported from the Andaman Islands, Nicobar, the Maldives, Mauritius, the Seychelles, the Amirantes and Madagascar. Terebralia palustris also occurs along the tropical and subtropical East African coastline including Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. The southern global distribution limit for this species is along the eastern subtropical coastline of South Africa. The northward extension of the African distribution is as far as the Red Sea. [2]
The shell is generally described as elongate, thick, solid and turreted. It comprises as many as 20 flat-sided whorls with the early whorls being sculptured with strong colabral axial ribs. Spiral incised lines appear on the ninth or tenth whorl. These gradually increase in number to three. [2] Growth is determinate for this species and full maturity is indicated by a thickened aperture margin. The size of mature adult snails varies between populations and in some cases maturity has been reported for individuals at only 45 mm total shell length. [2]
The head and foot are typically dark brown while the snout and tips of the cephalic tentacles are black. In females, a ciliated groove on the right side of the foot leads to a large, bulbous white ovipositor which is situated internally near the base of the foot. [2]
The hemocyanin of this species was analyzed by Lieb et al. in 2010. [4] Its mega-hemocyanin have unusually high oxygen affinities. [4]
It lives in the mud in mangrove forests. [4] Terebralia palustris is a predominantly mangrove-associated species. [5]
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Perna perna, the brown mussel, is an economically important mussel, a bivalve mollusc belonging to the family Mytilidae. It is harvested as a food source but is also known to harbor toxins and cause damage to marine structures. It is native to the waters of Africa, Europe, and South America and was introduced in the waters of North America.
Littoraria angulifera or the mangrove periwinkle is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Littorinidae, the winkles.
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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).
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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 sulcata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Potamididae.
Littoraria intermedia is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.
Mammilla simiae is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Naticidae, the moon snails.
Phalium glaucum, common name the grey bonnet or glaucus bonnet, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cassidae, the helmet snails and bonnet snails.
Neosarmatium smithi, is a swimming crab species in the genus Neosarmatium. Distributed all over marine and brackish waters of Indo-West Pacific regions.