Vitularia salebrosa explained

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

Description

The length of the shell varies between 24 mm and 80 mm.

The shell is white or yellowish-brown, sometimes banded. The occasional varix is much thickened, being composed of a number of parallel, close laminae. The outer lip and the columella are tinged with yellow. The operculum is diamond-shaped, with two short sides above and two long ones below, the angles rounded. ^[1]

Distribution

V. salebrosa is found on the tropical Pacific coast of America, from Baja California to Peru. It lives under rocks in the intertidal and subtidal zones.

Feeding

This species is an ectoparasite of other molluscs. Members of the species bore a hole through the host's shell and suck its blood or digestive organ (depending on the prey) over a period of months. Consistent with their suctorial feeding habit, they have a long proboscis, reduced buccal mass, and simplified digestive system compared to other Muricids.^[2]

Prey include the oyster Ostrea cf. fisheri http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=542093, the limpet-like slipper shell Crucibulum spinosum, and the vermetid gastropod Tripsycha (Eualetes) tulipa.^[3]

See also

• Genkaimurex varicosus, an ectoparasite of scallops in Japanese waters.^{(Herbert, 2009, citing Matsukuma, 1977)}

External links

• 1845 description in English and Latin by Reeve, with illustrations by G. B. Sowerby.
• Smith, M. (1947). A Recent Perplicaria and other new Panamic marine shells. The Nautilus. 61(2): 53-56, pl. 2

Notes and References

1. http://ia700306.us.archive.org/32/items/manualofconcholo2tryo/manualofconcholo2tryo.pdf G.W. Tryon (1880) Manual of Conchology II, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
2. Simone . Luiz Ricardo L. . Herbert . Gregory S. . Merle . Didier . Unusual anatomy of the ectoparasitic muricid Vitularia salebrosa (King and Broderip, 1832) (Neogastropoda: Muricidae) from the Pacific coast of Panama . The Nautilus . 2009 . 123 . 3 . 137–147. Available online at: ResearchGate (HTML, PDF), BHL (info, scan of print version).
3. Herbert . Gregory S. . Dietl . Gregory P. . Fortunado . Helena . Simone . Luiz Ricardo L. . Sliko . Jennifer . Extremely slow feeding in a tropical drilling ectoparasite, Vitularia salebrosa (King and Broderip, 1832) (Gastropoda:Muricidae), on molluscan hosts from Pacific Panama . The Nautilus . 2009 . 123 . 3 . 121–136. https://www.academia.edu/37027331/Extremely_slow_feeding_in_a_tropical_drilling_ectoparasite_Vitularia_salebrosa_King_and_Broderip_1832_Gastropoda_Muricidae_on_molluscan_hosts_from_Pacific_Panama