Nerita Explained

Nerita is a genus of medium-sized to small sea snails with a gill and an operculum, marine gastropod molluscs in the subfamily Neritinae of the family Neritidae, the nerites.[1]

This is the type genus of the family Neritidae.

Distribution and habitat

Species of Nerita can be found worldwide in tropical waters in the middle and upper intertidal zones. They are gregarious herbivores.

Description

The thick shell is broadly ovate or globular and low-spired. It has a smooth surface. The shells are spirally ribbed or show some axial sculpturing. The ventral side has a large columellar callus or parietal wall. The callus shows small pustules. The aperture and the edge of the columella are usually dentate with fine or robust teeth. The calcareus operculum is thick and can be smooth or with a granular structure. The whorls are covered with strong spiral cords.

Taxonomy

Several subgenera have been proposed over the course of time, but various authors in the past could not agree on the placement of many species. The subgeneric placement of the species of Nerita was revised by Vermeij in 1984.[2] However, inconsistencies still remain over the use and validity of many taxonomic names,[3] because species show a wide variety of colors, patterns and even details of shell morphology, which has given rise to many synonyms.

Species

Species within the genus Nerita include:[4] [5] [6]

The Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database also includes the following species with names in current use [16]

Synonyms

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Nerita Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138254 on 2021-09-20
  2. Vermeij GJ. 1984. The systematic position of the Neritid prosobranch gastropod Nerita polita and related species. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 97: 688-692.
  3. http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/47.4/481.pdf Siong Kiat Tan and Reuben Clements, Taxonomy and Distribution of the Neritidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) in Singapore, Zoological Studies 47(4): 481-494 (2008)
  4. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxlist WoRMS : Nerita
  5. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=all&search_value=Nerita&search_kingdom=every&search_span=exactly_for&categories=All&source=html&search_credRating=All ITIS info at
  6. http://www.catalogueoflife.org/search_results.php?search_string=Nerita&match_whole_words=on
  7. https://data.biodiversitydata.nl/naturalis/specimen/RMNH.MOL.337443 RMNH (Naturalis): Nerita apiata
  8. http://www.malacolog.org/search.php?nameid=144 Malacolog :Nerita ascencionis
  9. https://archive.org/stream/diegattungneri2101879mart/diegattungneri2101879mart_djvu.txt Von Martens (1879)"Gattung neritina"; Verlag von Bauer & Raspe, Nürnberg, 1879
  10. https://books.google.com/books?id=zLVyfNUNhlUC&dq=%22Nerita+gaimardii%22&pg=PA269 M. Souleyet, Description de cing nouvelles espèces de Nérites fluviales provenant du voyage de la Bonite; Revue zoologique de la Société cuvierienne, Volume 5
  11. https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/ml/technical_reports/89Eldredge_1987_UOGMLTechReport89.pdf University of Guam: Nerita maculifera
  12. https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/im/item/2000-32739 MNHN, Paris: Nerita maculifera
  13. https://www.gbif.org/species/183770816 GBIF : Neritidae
  14. https://www.gbif.org/species/183770816 GBIF: Nerita subgranosa
  15. https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/im/item/2000-32771 MNHN, Paris: Nerita subgranosa
  16. http://clade.ansp.org/obis/search.php/5275 OBIS : Nerita
  17. Chen . G. . Ye . Y. . Lu . C. . Li . R. . Weng . J. . Xu . Y. . Distribution of Littoraia melanostoma Gray (Littorinidae) and Nerita lineata Gmelin (Neritadae) in rehabilitated mangroves . Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao=the Journal of Applied Ecology / Zhongguo Sheng Tai Xue Xue Hui, Zhongguo Ke Xue Yuan Shenyang Ying Yong Sheng Tai Yan Jiu Suo Zhu Ban . 17 . 9 . 1721–1725 . 2006 . 17147188 . zh.

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