Melarhaphe neritoides

Melarhaphe neritoides
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Clade: Caenogastropoda
Clade: Hypsogastropoda
Clade: Littorinimorpha
Family: Littorinidae
Genus: Melarhaphe
Menke, 1828
Species: M. neritoides
Binomial name
Melarhaphe neritoides
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[1]
  • Helix petraea Montagu, 1803
  • Littorina neritoides (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Littorina petraeus (Montagu, 1803)
  • Melarhaphe induta (Westerlund, 1898)
  • Paludinella littorina (delle Chiaje, 1828)
  • Tricolia rissoi Audouin, 1826
  • Turbo neritoides Linnaeus, 1758

Melarhaphe neritoides, common name : the small periwinkle, is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles. [1]

This species was previously known as Littorina neritoides.

Melarhaphe is a monotypic genus, in other words, this is the only species in that genus.

Description

This is a tiny species with the size of an adult shell varying between 4 mm and 9 mm. It has a high pointed spire. The dark aperture is oval. The purple-brown spiral band can be clearly seen on the body whorl.

The small periwinkle breeds in late winter. Its pelagic egg capsules release planktonic larvae.

Distribution

This species is found in European waters from Norway down south, in the Atlantic Ocean along the Azores, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Morocco, Mauritania; in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.

References

  1. 1 2 Reid, David G.; Gofas, S. (2011). Melarhaphe neritoides (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=140266 on 23 August 2012

Further reading


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