Austrolittorina unifasciata

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.

Austrolittorina unifasciata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:	Littorinoidea
Family:	Littorinidae
Genus:	Austrolittorina
Species:	A. unifasciata
Binomial name
Austrolittorina unifasciata (Gray, 1826)
Synonyms
Litorina acuta Menke, 1843 Litorina diemensis Philippi, 1847 Littorina diemenensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1833 Littorina diemenensis var. pseudolaevis Nevill, 1885 Littorina mauritiana var. crassior Philippi, 1847 Littorina unifasciata Gray, 1826 Littorina (Austrolittorina) unifasciata unifasciata Rosewater, J. 1970 Melarapha diemenensis Iredale, T. & McMichael, D.F. 1962 Nodilittorina unifasciata (Gray, 1826)

Description

The shell size varies between 10 mm (0.39 in) and 25 mm (0.98 in).

Distribution

This species is the only one of its genus found in Australia. It is distributed in the Coral Sea off Queensland, Australia and in the Indian Ocean off Western Australia. This common periwinkle also lives on the rocky shore of New Zealand. It is also commonly found in South Pacific Islands such as Norfolk Island.

Ecology

This species of periwinkle lives in the splash zone and high intertidal zone, where it is found in clusters of individuals. The banded periwinkle grazes on lichen and algae. This small snail is eaten by crabs and birds.

References

• Gray, J.E. 1826. Mollusca. pp. 474–496 in King, P.P. (ed.). Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia. Performed between the years 1818 and 1822; with Appendix B. London : John Murray Vol. 2 viii 637 pp., 9 pls
• Quoy, J.R.C. & Gaimard, J.P. 1833. Voyage de découvertes de l'Astrolabe, exécuté par ordre du Roi, pendant les années 1826–1829. Paris : J. Tastu Zoologie Vol. 2 pp. 321–686.
• Menke, C.T. 1843. Molluscorum Novae Hollandiae Specimen in Libraria Aulica Hahniana. Hannoverae : Libraria Aulica Hahniana pp. 1–46.
• Philippi, R.A. 1847. Abbildungen und Beschreibungen neuer oder wenig gekannter Conchylien. Cassel : Theodor Fischer Vol. 2 pp. 153–232
• Gray, M.E. 1850. Figures of molluscous animals, selected from various authors. London : Longmans, Brown & Green Vol. 4 124 pp
• Nevill, G. 1885. Hand List of Mollusca in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. Part 2. Gastropoda. Calcutta : Government Printer pp. 1–306
• Allan, J.K. 1950. Australian Shells: with related animals living in the sea, in freshwater and on the land. Melbourne : Georgian House xix, 470 pp., 45 pls, 112 text figs.
• W.J. Dakin – Australian Sea Shores; Angus and Robertson Publishers (1952)
• Iredale, T. & McMichael, D.F. 1962. A reference list of the marine Mollusca of New South Wales. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 11: 1–109
• Macpherson, J.H. & Gabriel, C.J. 1962. Marine Molluscs of Victoria. Melbourne : Melbourne University Press & National Museum of Victoria 475 pp.
• Rosewater, J. 1970. The family Littorinidae in the Indo-Pacific. Part I. The subfamily Littorininae. Indo-Pacific Mollusca 2(11): 417–506
• Branch, G.M. & Branch, M.L. 1981. Experimental analysis of intraspecific competition in an intertidal gastropod Littorina unifasciata. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 32: 573–589
• McKillup, S.C. 1981. Avoidance of the Predatory Whelk Lepsiella scobina albomarginata by Littorina cincta and Littorina unifasciata. The Veliger 24(2): 167–171
• Reid, D.G. (1989) The comparative morphology, phylogeny and evolution of the gastropod family Littorinidae. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B 324: 1–110
• McMahon, R.F. 1992. Microgeographic variation in the shell morphometrics of Nodilittorina unifasciata from southwestern Australia in relation to wave exposure off shore. pp. 107–117 in Grahame, J., Mill, P.J. & Reid, D.G. (eds). Proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Littorinid Biology. London : Malacological Society of London.
• Wilson, B. 1993. Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods. Kallaroo, Western Australia : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 1 408 pp.
• G.J. Edgar, Australian Marine Life ; Reed New Holland Publishers (1997)
• Reid, D.G. & Williams, S.T. (2004) The subfamily Littorininae (Gastropoda: Littorinidae) in the temperate Southern Hemisphere: the genera Nodilittorina, Austrolittorina and Afrolittorina. Records of the Australian Museum 56: 75122.

External links

• "Austrolittorina unifasciata". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
• Image of a cluster of individuals: [1]
• Historical descriptions and illustrations:
  • Gray, John Edward (1826). "Mollusca" (Part of "Appendix B: containing a list and description of the subjects of natural history collected during Captain King's survey..." in King, Phillip P. Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia.). Species 48, p. 483.
  • Quoy, J.R.C. [Jean René Constant]; Gaimard, J.P. [Joseph Paul] (1833). "Littorine de Diémen". Voyage de découvertes de l'Astrolabe: Exécuté par ordre du Roi, pendant les années 1826–1827–1828–1829, sous le commandement de M. J. Dumont d'Urville: Zoologie. Tome 2, partie 2 (in French). Paris: J. Tastu. pp. 479–480. p. 479
  • Blanchard; Schmelz (1833). "Planche 33". Voyage de la corvette l'Astrolabe exécuté pendant les années 1826 – 1827 – 1828 – 1829 sous le commandemant M. Jules Dumont D'Urville, capitaine de vaisseau: Atlas (in French). Paris. Figures 8–11.