Neverita duplicata

Neverita duplicata, common name the shark eye, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Naticidae, the moon snails.[1]

Neverita duplicata
A live Neverita duplicata at Core Banks, North Carolina
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:
Naticoidea
Family:
Naticidae
Genus:
Neverita
Species:
N. duplicata
Binomial name
Neverita duplicata
(Say, 1822)
Synonyms[1]

Polinices duplicatus (Say, 1822)

In 2006, a paper was published which made it clear that a second, very similar, species with a smaller range of distribution also lives in part of the range inhabited by Neverita duplicata. The second species had previously been considered to be simply a form of N. duplicata, but it is now recognized as Neverita delessertiana.[2]

Distribution

This is a common western Atlantic species. It is found from Massachusetts and other parts of New England, south to Florida and other states on the Gulf of Mexico, south to Honduras.

Description

The shell has a flattened globular shape, and reaches about 88 to 90 millimetres (3.5 to 3.5 in) in maximum dimension. The color of the shell is variable, but is often a greyish brown. The central apex of the shell is often a dark blue in fresh shells, which can make the shell somewhat resemble an eye. On the underside, there is a large brown callus which partly blocks the umbilicus of the shell.

The maximum recorded shell length is 82 mm.[3]

  • A model of a live individual of Neverita duplicata
  • Apical view of Neverita duplicata
  • Lateral view of the same shell
  • Umbilical view of the same shell
  • Fossil Neverita duplicata from the Pliocene of Florida

Habitat

This moon snail is found on sandy shores just below the low tide line. In most of its range, the empty shell is very commonly washed up on beaches, as also is the operculum and the sand collar.

The minimum recorded depth for this species is 0 m; the maximum recorded depth is 58 m.[3]

Feeding habits

The shark eye (like all moon snails) is predatory, feeding mainly on bivalves buried in the sand. This snail drills a neat "countersunk" circular hole through the shell of its prey species, and then feeds on the soft tissue within.

References
  1. Neverita duplicata (Say, 1822). Rosenberg, G. (2010). Neverita duplicata (Say, 1822). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=160407 on 17 June 2010 .
  2. Huelsken, T. et al. (2006) Neverita delessertiana (Recluz in Chenu, 1843): a naticid species (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda) distinct from Neverita duplicata (Say, 1822) based on molecular data, morphological characters, and geographical distribution. Zootaxa, 1-25. PDF.
  3. Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.

Further reading
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