Nucella squamosa, common name the scaly dogwhelk, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.[1]
| Nucella squamosa | |
|---|---|
| |
| Five views of a shell of Nucella squamosa (Lamarck, 1816) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Neogastropoda |
| Family: | Muricidae |
| Genus: | Nucella |
| Species: | N. squamosa
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| Binomial name | |
| Nucella squamosa (Lamarck, 1816)
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Purpura clathrata Blainville, 1832 | |
Description
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The scaly dogwhelk is a small brown whelk with many fine knobbly spiral ridges on its shell. It grows up to 5 cm in total length. The ridges of the snail's shell are not often visible because the whelk is usually overgrown by the high-spined commensal hydroid, Hydtractinia altispina, which looks prickly and is orange.[2]
Distribution
editThis marine snail is found off the southern African coast from central Namibia to Port St Johns, subtidally to 50m under water.[2]
Ecology
editThe eggs are laid in small groups of capsules which resemble stalked clubs. The commensal hydroid deters several of the snail's predators.[2]
References
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- ^ a b Nucella squamosa (Lamarck, 1816). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 24 April 2010.
- ^ a b c Branch, G.M., Branch, M.L, Griffiths, C.L. and Beckley, L.E. 2010. Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa. ISBN 978-1-77007-772-0.