Glossaulax reclusiana explained

Glossaulax reclusiana, also known as Recluz's moon snail, is a species of sea snail in the family Naticidae, the moon snails.^[1] It is named for French amateur malacologist César Auguste Récluz.^[2]

Description

(Original description in Latin) The shell is ovate-conical and swollen, with a smooth or slightly striated surface. It is grayish-lead in color, whitish at the base, and features a dark band around the suture. The umbilicus is large and mostly covered by a callus, which is unevenly divided by a groove. The columella is heavily calloused at the top, white in the upper part, and marked with a dark spot in the lower part. The aperture is ovate-semilunar, with a small channel at the top, and is white to brownish on the inside.^[3] The shell can reach 84mm in height.^[4]

Distribution

It is found along the coasts of California and Mexico.^[5]

Habitat

G. reclusiana lives in shallow bays and lagoons from the intertidal zone to depths around 49.5m (162.4feet).

Behavior

Like all moon snails, G. reclusiana is predatory. It feeds on other mollusks, including Callianax biplicata and Chione fluctifraga.^[6]

External links

• Gabb . W.M. . Description of the Cretaceous fossils. In: Meek, F. B. and Gabb, W. M. Geological Survey of California . Palaeontology of California . 1864 . 1 . 55–243 . 30 July 2024.
• Arnold . R. . The paleontology and stratigraphy of the marine Pliocene and Pleistocene of San Pedro, California. . Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences . 1903 . 3 . 1–420 . 30 July 2024.
• Dall . W.H. . Contributions to the Tertiary Palaeontology of the Pacific coast. The Miocene of Astoria and Coos Bay, Oregon. . Professional Papers, United States Geological Survey . 1909 . 59 . 1–278 . 30 July 2024.
• Torigoe K. & Inaba A. . Revision on the classification of Recent Naticidae . Bulletin of the Nishinomiya Shell Museum . 2011 . 7 . 133 .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Recluz's Moon Snail (Glossaulax reclusiana) . July 30, 2024 . iNaturalist . en.
2. Devaux . Guy . 2019 . Un pharmacien malacologiste . Revue d'Histoire de la Pharmacie . fr . 106 . 402 . 188 . 10.3406/pharm.2019.23837.
3. Deshayes . G.P. . Nouvelles espèces de mollusques, provenant des côtes de la Californie, du Mexique, du Kamtschatka et de la Nouvelle-Zélande . Revue Zoologique par la Société Cuvierienne . 1839 . 2 . 12 . 356–361 . 30 July 2024.
4. Book: Sept, J. Duane . The New Beachcomber's Guide to Seashore Life of California . Harbour Publishing . 2023 . 9781990776076 . Madeira Park, British Columbia, Canada . 155 . en.
5. Smith . Jansen A. . Dietl . Gregory P. . 2016 . The value of geohistorical data in identifying a recent human-induced range expansion of a predatory gastropod in the Colorado River delta, Mexico . Journal of Biogeography . 43 . 4 . 791–800 . 10.1111/jbi.12644 . 44002313 . 2016JBiog..43..791S . 0305-0270.
6. Visaggi . C. C. . Dietl . G. P. . Kelley . P. H. . November 1, 2013 . Testing the influence of sediment depth on drilling behaviour of Neverita duplicata (Gastropoda: Naticidae), with a review of alternative modes of predation by naticids . Journal of Molluscan Studies . en . 79 . 4 . 310–322 . 10.1093/mollus/eyt023 . 0260-1230.