Ilyanassa obsoleta

Eastern mudsnail
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Buccinoidea
Family: Nassariidae
Subfamily: Nassariinae
Genus: Ilyanassa
Species: I. obsoleta
Binomial name
Ilyanassa obsoleta
Say, 1822
Synonyms[1]
  • Buccinum noveboracensis Wood, 1828
  • Buccinum oliviforme Kiener, 1834
  • Nassa obsoleta Say, 1822 (original combination)
  • Nassarius (Ilyanassa) obsoletus (Say, 1822)
  • Nassarius obsoletus (Say, 1822)

The eastern mudsnail,[2] Ilyanassa obsoleta, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the nassa mud snails. [1]

Shell description

This species has a small shell which has a slightly rough exterior because the surface has intersecting weak spiral and axial ribs. The shell has an oval aperture with a small notch or siphonal canal at the anterior end. The aperture has a smooth inner lip with a partial shield, and the outer lip is thin and smooth.

The exterior of the shell is a chalky white, but it is covered by a very dark brown, closely adhering periostracum, except in areas of the shell where the periostracum has been eroded. The apex of the shell is almost always eroded, and the shell is often quite damaged by the acidic properties of the mud in which the animal lives.

The maximum shell length is a little more than one inch, or about 28 mm.

Distribution

The indigenous distribution of this western Atlantic species is from Nova Scotia to Georgia in the United States.

The nonindigenous distribution includes the West Coast of the United States.[3]

Ecology

Habitat

This snail is very common on mud flats in the intertidal and shallow subtidal zones, in sounds and inlets.

Feeding habits

This species is a detritus feeder, eating whatever is found in the film on top of the mud where it lives, including many microscopic marine plants.

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 Rosenberg, G. (2012). Ilyanassa obsoleta (Say, 1822). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=467490 on 2012-10-28
  2. ↑ "ITIS- N. obsoletus". Retrieved 2007-02-19.
  3. ↑ United States Geological Survey. 2008. Nassarius obsoletus. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL. <http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=1022> Accessed 29 October 2008.
Bibliography

External links

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