Simnialena uniplicata
Simnialena uniplicata, common name the one-tooth simnia, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries.[1] It lives on the sea whip, Leptogorgia virgulata.
| Simnialena uniplicata | |
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| Species: | S. uniplicata |
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| Simnialena uniplicata (Sowerby, 1849) | |
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Description
The shell of is shiny and smooth, and the shape of an elongated egg, with a flat base which shows a long, narrow, slit-like aperture. The shell grows to 2 cm long and the coil of the typical gastropod shell is not visible. The colour varies from ivory white to pink. The maximum recorded shell length is 21 mm.[2]
Distribution
Simnialena uniplicata occurs in shallow water on the eastern coast of the United States, Colombia, Jamaica and Brazil.[3] Minimum recorded depth is 0 m.[2] Maximum recorded depth is 116 m.[2]
Ecology
Simnialena uniplicata has a symbiotic relationship with the sea whip Leptogorgia virgulata on which it lives. The snail's white colour is derived from the pigments it absorbs and which it incorporates into its shell after eating debris from the coral.[4]
References
- Simnialena uniplicata (G.B. Sowerby II, 1849). WoRMS (2010). Simnialena uniplicata (G.B. Sowerby II, 1849). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=160414 on 5 June 2010 .
- Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLOS One 5(1): e8776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.
- Simnialena uniplicata Gastropods.com. Retrieved 2011-12-11.
- Patton, Wendell K. (1972). "Studies on the Animal Symbionts of the Gorgonian Coral, Leptogorgia Virgulata (Lamarck)". Bulletin of Marine Science. 22 (2): 419–431.