Mitra idae

Mitra idae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Muricoidea
Family: Mitridae
Genus: Mitra
Species: M. idae
Binomial name
Mitra idae
Melvill, 1893

Mitra idae, common name Ida's miter, is a species of medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Mitridae, the miters.

Distribution

This miter lives from Northern California, United States, to Baja California, Mexico.

Ida's miter with egg capsules

Description

The shell of this species is strong and heavy. The shells of adults vary from 20 to 60 mm in length. There are three folds on the columella.

The shell itself is a pinkish-tan color, but in life the shell is covered in a strong black periostracum.

The body of the animal is all pure white other than its black eye spots.

Life habits

This miter lays egg capsules attached to rock surfaces. They are yellow or transparent, and about 8mm high. In laboratory conditions, females have been observed depositing over 90 egg capsules in 4 days, and 173 in 17 days. Each capsule contains hundreds of 0.2mm eggs. Veliger larvae hatch from the capsule after ~24 days, depending on temperature.[1]

The species is a specialized carnivore, and can live for weeks without food.

Etymology

Mitra idae was described by James Cosmo Melvill in 1893, who named the species after conchologist Ida Shepard Oldroyd.[2]

References

  1. RH Morris, DP Abbott and EC Haderlie (1980) Intertidal Invertebrates of California. Stanford University Press: Stanford, CA. p.292.
  2. Melvill, James Cosmo (1893). "Description of a new species of Mitra". The Conchologist 2: 140–141.
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