Trophonopsis muricata explained

Trophonopsis muricata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.

Description

The size of an adult shell varies between 10 mm and 20 mm. The narrow, conical shell has seven or eight tumid whorls, crossed by numerous transverse ribs (15 to 20 on the penultimate whorl), spiral ridges and fine growth lines. These ribs are narrow and interact with spiral ridges, forming a deep reticulate pattern with raised tubercles. The thin outer lip is straight, crenulate andshows internal grooves. It is marked with inflection at the base of the siphonal canal. This siphonal canal is long about 25 % of the length of the shell), narrow and almost straight. The color of the shell is yellowish (often with spiral brown bands), flesh-colored or sometimes white.

The ova-capsules are described by Jeffreys as about a line in diameter, with an oval orifice. The contain a purplish liquor together with the fry. The animal is light yellow or whitish. It is eaten by fishes : Trigla lyra and Peristedion cataphractum.^[1]

Distribution

This species occurs in sublittoral European waters, in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Black Sea, in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean off Portugal, Spain and the Azores

Synonyms

• Fusus asperrimus Leach in Brown, 1827
• Fusus cancellatus Bivona, 1838
• Fusus longurio Weinkauff, 1866
• Murex muricatus Montagu, 1803
• Murex recticanalis Wood, 1879
• Murex sculptus Bellardi, 1872
• Pseudofusus rostratus var. sowerbyana Monterosato, 1890
• Raphitoma asperrima (Brown, 1827)
• Trophon curta Locard, 1892
• Trophon muricatus (Montagu, 1803)
• Trophon muricatus albinus Settepassi, 1977 (not available, published in a work which does not consistently use binomial nomenclature (ICZN art. 11.4))
• Trophon muricatus major Settepassi, 1977 (not available, published in a work which does not consistently use binomial nomenclature (ICZN art. 11.4))
• Trophon muricatus var. aspera Monterosato in Bucquoy & Dautzenberg, 1882
• Trophon muricatus var. lactea Jeffreys, 1867
• Trophon muricatus var. major Monterosato in Bucquoy & Dautzenberg, 1882
• Trophon muricatus var. minor Monterosato in Bucquoy & Dautzenberg, 1882
• Trophonopsis curta Locard, 1892
• Trophonopsis forestii Ruggieri, 1947
• Trophonopsis forestii coeni Ruggieri, 1947
• Trophonopsis gortani Ruggieri, 1947
• Trophonopsis longurio Bucquoy & Dautzenberg, 1882 ·
• Trophonopsis muricata var. minor Locard, 1897
• Trophonopsis muricatus albinus Monterosato in Settepassi, 1977
• Trophonopsis muricatus var. minor Locard, 1897

References

• Wood, S.V. (1879) Second supplement to the Monograph of the Crag Mollusca, or, descriptions of shells from the middle and upper tertiaries of the east of England. Vol. IV. Univalves and bivalves. Monograph Palaeontographical Society of London, 33, 1–58
• de Kluijver, M.J.; Ingalsuo, S.S.; de Bruyne, R.H. (2000). Macrobenthos of the North Sea [CD-ROM]: 1. Keys to Mollusca and Brachiopoda. World Biodiversity Database CD-ROM Series. Expert Center for Taxonomic Identification (ETI): Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
• Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 180–213
• Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. [Coastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory]. Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France. 307 pp.

External links

• • Montagu, G. (1803). Testacea Britannica or natural history of British shells, marine, land, and fresh-water, including the most minute: Systematically arranged and embellished with figures. J. White, London, Vol. 1, xxxvii + 291 pp;; Vol. 2, pp. 293–606, pl. 1-16
• Bucquoy, E., Dautzenberg, P. & Dollfus, G. (1882-1886). Les mollusques marins du Roussillon. Tome Ier. Gastropodes. Paris: Baillière & fils. 570 pp., 66 pls
• Jeffreys, J. G. (1862-1869). British conchology. Vol. 1: pp. cxiv + 341 [1862]]
• Brown, T. (1827). Illustrations of the conchology of Great Britain and Ireland. Drawn from nature. W.H. Lizars and D. Lizars, Edinburgh and S. Highley, London. 144 pp., 52 pls
• Bivona, A. (1838). Generi et specie di molluschi descritti dal Barone Antonio Bivona e Bernardi. Lavori postumi pubblicati dal figlio Andrea dottore in medicina con note ed aggiunte. Giornale di Scienze Lettere e Arti per la Sicilia. 61: 211-227
• Weinkauff, H. C. (1866). Nouveau supplément au catalogue des coquilles marines recueillies sur les côtes de l'Algérie. Journal de Conchyliologie. 14(3): 227-248
• Locard, A. (1891). Les coquilles marines des côtes de France. Annales de la Société Linnéenne de Lyon. 37: 1-385
• Locard, A. (1897-1898). Expéditions scientifiques du Travailleur et du Talisman pendant les années 1880, 1881, 1882 et 1883. Mollusques testacés. Paris, Masson. vol. 1
• Monterosato, T. A. di. (1890). Conchiglie della profondità del mare di Palermo. Il Naturalista Siciliano. 9(6): 140-151
• Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire

Notes and References

1. https://archive.org/details/manualofconcholo2tryo G.W. Tryon (1880) Manual of Conchology II, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia