Acanthinucella punctulata

Acanthinucella punctulata (previously known as Acanthina punctulata), common name: the spotted thorn drupe, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.[1]

Acanthinucella punctulata
A shell of A. punctutulata occupied by a hermit crab
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Family: Muricidae
Genus: Acanthinucella
Species:
A. punctulata
Binomial name
Acanthinucella punctulata
Synonyms[1]
  • Monoceros punctulatum Sowerby, 1835
  • Purpura lapilloides Conrad, 1837

Description

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These snails are small in size, about 2.5 cm. in length. The shell has dark spiral markings resembling wide dots or dashes.

Distribution

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These snails are found on the West Coast of North America, from Monterey, California, to northern Baja California, Mexico.

Habitat

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A. punctulata lives on rocky shores in the upper intertidal zone.

 
A pair of A. punctulata mating in a tide pool in central California

References

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  1. ^ a b Acanthinucella punctulata (Sowerby, 1835). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 16 February 2011.
  • McLean, James H., 1978 ‘'Marine Shells of Southern California'’, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Museum, Science Series 24, Revised Edition: 1–104