Tritia gibbosula

Last updated

Tritia gibbosula
Nassarius gibbosulus 002.jpg
Apertural view of a shell of Tritia gibbosula
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Family: Nassariidae
Subfamily: Nassariinae
Genus: Tritia
Species:
T. gibbosula
Binomial name
Tritia gibbosula
Synonyms [1]
list of synonyms
  • Arcularia gibbosula(Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Arcularia gibbosula obscuraPallary, 1913
  • Arcularia gibbosula var. minorPallary, 1912
  • Arcularia gibbosula var. obscuraPallary, 1912
  • Buccinum gibbosulum Linnaeus, 1758 (original combination)
  • Cassis callosaRöding, 1798
  • Cassis callosusRöding, 1798
  • Nassa gibbosula(Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Nassa gibbosula var. syriacaPuton, 1856
  • Nassarius gibbosulus(Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Nassarius (Plicarcularia) gibbosulus(Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Sphaeronassa irregularisLocard, 1892 (dubious synonym)

Tritia gibbosula, common name the swollen nassa, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks. [1]

Contents

Description

The length of the shell varies between 15 mm and 20 mm.

The thick shell is smooth, ovate, somewhat gibbous upon the back of the body whorl, flattened and widened upon the sides. The spire is short and acute. It is formed of five or six whorls. The aperture is ovate, smooth and white. The interior of the cavity is brown. The outer lip is margined without, smooth within, joining towards the top a large polished callosity, by which the columella and inferior surface of the whorls are entirely covered. The color is olive or of a brown fawn-color and ash, sprinkled with spots or clearer undulated lines. Sometimes one or two transverse brown bands surround the body whorl. The edge of the callosity is always of a more or less deep orange color. [2]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea off Greece, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt.

Use in prehistory

The oldest known jewelry in the world consists of two perforated beads made from shells of this species. These were discovered at Skhul in Israel, and were recently dated to between 100,000 and 135,000 years ago. [3] [4] Similar ornaments (some made from Nassarius kraussianus and the bittersweet clam Glycymeris nummaria as well as Nassarius gibbosulus) have been discovered at a number of Middle Paleolithic sites and are considered a key piece of evidence for the theory that early anatomically modern humans in Africa and the Levant were more culturally sophisticated than had previously been thought. [5] [6] [7] In some cases the shells have been transported a considerable distance from the species' natural habitat. One example is the site of Oued Djebbana in Algeria, for example, where an N. gibbosulus bead has been found; this site was at least 190 km away from the sea at the time the shell was used there. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Nassarius</i> Genus of gastropods

Nassarius, common name nassa mud snails (USA) or dog whelks (UK), is a genus of minute to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Nassariidae. They are scavengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nassariidae</span> Family of gastropods

The Nassariidae, Nassa mud snails (USA), or dog whelks (UK), are a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Neogastropoda.

Nassarius circumcinctus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

<i>Tritia corniculum</i> Species of gastropod

Tritia corniculum, common name the horn nassa, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

<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 mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

<i>Tritia cuvierii</i> Species of gastropod

Tritia cuvierii, common name the one-banded nassa, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

Tritia denticulata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

<i>Tritia elata</i> Species of gastropod

Tritia elata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

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

Nassarius globosus, common name the globose nassa, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

<i>Tritia grana</i> Species of mollusc

Tritia grana is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

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

Nassarius distortus, common name : the distorted nassa, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

<i>Tritia varicosa</i> Species of gastropod

Tritia varicosa is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

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

Nassarius siquijorensis, common name the burned nassa, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

<i>Tritia turulosa</i> Species of gastropod

Tritia turulosa is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

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

Tritia unifasciata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

<i>Phrontis vibex</i> Species of gastropod

Phrontis vibex, common name the bruised nassa, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

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

Nassarius pumilio is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

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

Nassa is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Rapaninae of the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shell jewelry</span> Jewelry made primarily of seashells

Shell jewelry is jewelry that is primarily made from seashells, the shells of marine mollusks. Shell jewelry is a type of shellcraft. One very common form of shell jewelry is necklaces that are composed of large numbers of beads, where each individual bead is the whole shell of a small sea snail. Numerous other varieties of shell jewelry are made, including bracelets and earrings.

<i>Tritia</i> Genus of gastropods

Tritia is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

References

  1. 1 2 MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Tritia gibbosula (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=991267 on 2021-09-06
  2. ↑ Kiener (1840). General species and iconography of recent shells : comprising the Massena Museum, the collection of Lamarck, the collection of the Museum of Natural History, and the recent discoveries of travellers; Boston :W.D. Ticknor,1837 (described as Buccinum gibbosulum)
  3. ↑ Balter, M. (June 2006). "Archaeology. First jewelry? Old shell beads suggest early use of symbols". Science. 312 (5781): 1731. doi:10.1126/science.312.5781.1731. ISSN   0036-8075. PMID   16794051. S2CID   37796531.
  4. 1 2 Vanhaereny, M.; d'Errico, F.; Stringer, C.; James, S. L.; Todd, J. A.; Mienis, H. K. (2006). "Middle Paleolithic Shell Beads in Israel and Algeria". Science. 312 (5781): 1785–1788. Bibcode:2006Sci...312.1785V. doi:10.1126/science.1128139. PMID   16794076. S2CID   31098527.
  5. ↑ d'Errico, F.; Henshilwood, C.; Vanhaeren, M.; Van Niekerk, K. (2005). "Nassarius kraussianus shell beads from Blombos Cave: Evidence for symbolic behaviour in the Middle Stone Age". Journal of Human Evolution. 48 (1): 3–24. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.490.7856 . doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2004.09.002. PMID   15656934.
  6. ↑ Bouzouggar, A.; Barton, N.; Vanhaeren, M.; d'Errico, F.; Collcutt, S.; Higham, T.; Hodge, E.; Parfitt, S.; Rhodes, E.; Schwenninger, J. -L.; Stringer, C.; Turner, E.; Ward, S.; Moutmir, A.; Stambouli, A. (2007). "82,000-year-old shell beads from North Africa and implications for the origins of modern human behavior". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 104 (24): 9964–9. Bibcode:2007PNAS..104.9964B. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0703877104 . PMC   1891266 . PMID   17548808.
  7. ↑ d'Errico, F.; Vanhaeren, M.; Barton, N.; Bouzouggar, A.; Mienis, H.; Richter, D.; Hublin, J. -J.; McPherron, S. P.; Lozouet, P. (2009). "Out of Africa: Modern Human Origins Special Feature: Additional evidence on the use of personal ornaments in the Middle Paleolithic of North Africa". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 106 (38): 16051–6. Bibcode:2009PNAS..10616051D. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0903532106 . PMC   2752514 . PMID   19717433.
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.