Eupleura sulcidentata, common name the sharp-ribbed drill, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.[1]

Eupleura sulcidentata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Family: Muricidae
Genus: Eupleura
Species:
E. sulcidentata
Binomial name
Eupleura sulcidentata
Dall, 1890
Synonyms[1]

Eupleura caudata var. sulcidentata Dall, 1890

Description

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This is a small species, reaching only up to 25mm.[2]

Overall shape is that of a fairly typical murex in miniature, though its varices ("ribs") are spaced at approximately 180° apart, rather than the ~120° more common in murexes. The varices have a wavy appearance and a sharp-looking edge. In-between the varices are smaller bumps or nodes. Color is usually whitish or off-white, occasionally buff or even brown. Sometimes a brown stripe is present on the upper part of each whorl.

The sharp-ribbed drill is a carnivore and, as the name "drill" implies, it bores holes into the shells of other mollusks using its radular teeth.

Distribution

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This species is known to occur in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Eupleura sulcidentata Dall, 1890. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species.
  2. ^ "Eupleura sulcidentata". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.