Common needle snail

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Common needle snail
Cerithium vulgatum 02.JPG

Common needle snail ( Cerithium vulgatum )

Systematics
Partial order : New snails (Neogastropoda)
Superfamily : Cerithioidea
Family : Conifer snails (Cerithiidae)
Subfamily : Cerithiinae
Genre : Cerithium
Type : Common needle snail
Scientific name
Cerithium vulgatum
Bruguière , 1792

The common needle snail ( Cerithium vulgatum) was first described by Bruguière in 1792 . It belongs to the family of Cerithiidae (pipefish snails) of Sorbeoconcha (Einsaugschaler).

Systematics

The Cerithiidae belong to the superfamily of the Cerithioidea , a group whose origins can be traced back to the Jurassic - Cretaceous border.

In the Mediterranean , the genus Cerithium Bruguière, 1789, is a common component in coastal environments and is represented by very differently shaped taxa . In various cases it is unclear whether differences in shell shape correspond to different taxonomic units or whether they are the result of great plasticity.

As a result, two opposing views on the systematics of the Mediterranean genus Cerithium can be derived from the literature : According to the classical view, the genus Cerithium is in the Mediterranean due to a small coastal species, C. rupestre Risso, 1826 and a large subtidal species, C. vulgatum Bruguière, 1792 , represented. Nordsieck, however, reports 52 species.

According to recent and more realistic assumptions, the cerithium species of the Mediterranean can informally be divided into two groups based on the size of their shells: C. lividulum Risso, 1826 and C. renovatum Monterosato, 1884 form the group of the smaller species (usually not larger than 25 mm); C. alucastrum Brocchi, 1814, C. protractum Ant. In Bivona And., 1838, C. repandum Monterosato, 1878 and C. vulgatum Bruguière, 1792 form the group of the larger species (usually larger than 25 to 30 mm).

The last two species can show an extraordinarily high interspecific similarity. Presumably they are closely related sister species that form the C. vulgatum species complex.

The extreme intraspecific variability of the shells of Cerithium species makes the classification at the species level in general extremely problematic and it is often difficult to assign the morphologically different populations in peripheral areas such as lagoons and harbors to a particular species. This variability could be the result of adaptations to the environment or genetic variability.

morphology

Bowl

The shell of Cerithium vulgatum is 20 to 60 mm, in large individuals up to 80 mm long and tower-shaped. It is relatively thin-skinned, but stable.

The side is straight to convex, the periphery of the shell is rounded. C. vulgatum has a multispiral (2.1 to 2.5 turns), barely sculptured protoconch with a smooth Protoconch I (embryo shell) of less than one turn and weakly sculptured Protoconch II (larval shell).

The Teleoconch (adult bowl) consists of about twelve slightly convex passages. It has a sculpture of numerous flat spiral strips and individual rows of fine to coarse knots, some of which are connected to form weak axial bulges. A row of knots roughly in the middle of the whorls is thicker and has short, blunt tips.

The seam of the shell is inconspicuous or incised; the columella is evenly curved.

The lip is pulled forward at the bottom, the outer lip is thickened. A weak varix (thickened axial rib) is indicated opposite the outer lip .

At the bottom, the bowl has a short, left-facing, open siphon channel (spout). The anal sinus is set off by a tooth. The mouth of the bowl is obliquely oval.

The color pattern of the bowl is translucent. The basic color is yellowish, beige or white-gray with a fine pattern of brown, red and dark gray axial lines and spots. There are also fuzzy cloud patterns.

Very small specimens cannot always be clearly distinguished from Cerithium rupestre .

Several studies show that individuals from different habitats have a different appearance.

Thus, individuals found in a lagoon are smaller and gray, have less noticeable varices on the first vertebrae, and have a well-developed series of prominences along the apex.

Individuals from the open sea are loudly conical and reach more than 50 mm in length. They have very pointed, almost prickly knots and a uniform orange color.

Individuals found in ports tend to be smaller and slimmer, with more nodules and varices that also stretch further up the apex.

This impressive variability in phenotype could be related to different ecological requirements during the juvenile / adult stage, or (more likely) result from the effects of environmental factors on growth.

The morphology of C. repandum and C. vulgatum appears to converge in port environments, where their shells are slender, distinctly tower-shaped, and tiered. One could suspect that this convergence is due to water pollution (hydrocarbons, heavy metals).

foot

The color of the soft tissues of C. vulgatum varies depending on the place where the snail lives.

distribution and habitat

Cerithium vulgatum is common in all coastal areas of Great Britain , Spain , Portugal , Greece and western Turkey .

It occurs in shallower water on sedimentary substrates and on rocky soils dominated by photophilic algae. For example, it is widespread on the bottom of seagrass meadows ( Posidonia oceanica , Neptune grass ) and is often found there.

nutrition

Cerithium vulgatum is a sediment- eating herbivore that feeds on organic debris and detritus (dead organic material).

C. vulgatum has soft chitinous teeth and weak buccal muscles (cheek muscles), which allow the effective grazing of microalgae and filamentous algae.

Reproduction and development

Species of the genus Cerithium are gonochoric ( separate sexes ), so there can be no self-fertilization.

The cerithioidea are characterized by aphallic (penisless) males with open pallial gonoducts (genital canals). During copulation, sperm transfer therefore takes place through spermatophores.

The females have a complex pallial reproductive tract that produces specialized sperm storage pockets.

The development of the eggs of species of the genus Cerithium can take place in two different modes: Stenohaline species (species that cannot tolerate large fluctuations in the salinity of the water) have clutches that contain many eggs. These develop quickly and planktotrophic (plankton-feeding) Veliger larvae hatch . Euryhaline species (species that tolerate large fluctuations in the salinity of the water) lay fewer and larger eggs, which develop more slowly and from which fully developed snails hatch.

These two modes of larval development have different dispersal abilities - planktotrophic species spread more through the Veliger larvae than non-planktotrophic ones. The larval development probably influences the population structure. Therefore, non-planktotrophic species are likely to be more differentiated.

For Cerithium vulgatum a planktotrophic larval development is assumed due to the relationship between protoconch morphology and larval development. observed the oviposition of C. vulgatum and the development of these eggs in the laboratory.

The eggs were laid from June to July. Female individuals attached scrims, which consisted of twisted and tangled filaments of different lengths (up to 50 cm), to a substrate. Each egg capsule contained a single egg. It is estimated that each clutch contained several million eggs. Seven days after oviposition, planktotrophic Veliger larvae hatched. Since all Veliger larvae died within ten hours, the metamorphosis could not be observed.

It is believed that the large larval dispersal capacity through planktotrophy enables high gene flow between populations of C. vulgatum .

Use, endangerment and ecological importance

use

Using a novel process, biphasic bio-ceramic nanopowders made from hydroxyapatite (HA) and β- tricalcium phosphate can be obtained from the shell of Cerithium vulgatum . Since HA is the most important inorganic component of bone, these biomaterials are widely used in orthopedics as materials for implants, particularly in bone surgery and in other hard tissues such as dental and aesthetic surgery.

Compared to conventional hydrothermal transformation, this novel process is very simple and inexpensive, since the transformation of the aragonite and calcite of the shell takes place at 80 ° C under atmospheric pressure.

The properties of the powder produced as well as its biological origin qualify it for further considerations and experiments in the production of nanoceramic biomaterials.

Ecotoxicology

C. vulgatum can be used for monitoring metals in marine ecosystems.

Investigations in a sea bay in Greece, which is contaminated by ore, coal, slag and the iron-nickel product from an iron-nickel smelting plant, show high metal concentrations in gastropods, especially in C. vulgatum , which is particularly rich in cobalt, Manganese, nickel and zinc enriches. It is believed that manganese from the water is absorbed by the leaves of Cymodocea nodosa (seaweed grass) and enters C. vulgatum in the form of detritus as food . Zinc follows the same path and is also absorbed directly from the water by C. vulgatum . Chromium is absorbed from the sediment.

In C. vulgatum , most of the metals are concentrated in the midgut gland and not in muscle tissue.

Although bioaccumulation (uptake and accumulation of a substance from the medium surrounding an organism) of metals occurs in C. vulgatum , no biomagnification was found along the food chain. The metals that accumulate in the midgut gland are concentrated in intracellular granules where they are associated with either phosphorus or sulfur. This binding and compartmentalization separates the metal ions from molecules in the cytosol that would react with them, including proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids, thus preventing the disruption of biochemical processes in the cells. This applies not only to the animals themselves, but also to animals that eat the tissue.

An interesting possible relationship between morphology and the human-altered environment is suggested due to the elongated, tower-shaped, and tiered shells of C. vulgatum that live in port areas. The shells from the port could be viewed as Anthropocene biomarkers with a potential role as bioindicators of polluted marine waters. However, it cannot be ruled out that these particular morphologies are caused by parasitic infections.

Danger

C. vulgatum is a potential target for the marine aquarium industry. This is not because of some attractive feature that qualifies it as an ornamental species, but because it is a popular member of the "reef aquarium cleaning crew", which is responsible for eating algae, annoying organisms and detritus.

In a case study from Portugal, although the retail value of C. vulgatum is only estimated at one to two euros per item, the reason it is at risk is its popularity and the fact that it can be easily caught in significant numbers by hobbyists or traders as it occurs in shallow water that is easily accessible with snorkeling gear.

A study examining the ecosystem effects of ocean acidification from volcanic carbon dioxide sources also shows that in areas with a pH of 7.4 or more, the shells of C. vulgatum are weakened by the acidified seawater, which is likely the risk increased to fall prey to a robber. It can therefore be assumed that anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and the associated acidification of the oceans pose a threat to C. vulgatum .

Ecological importance

C. vulgatum belongs to the prey of smaller individuals of Marthasterias glacialis (ice star) and is eaten by Murex trunculus (blunt spiny snail).

In addition, C. vulgatum is the first intermediate host of the parasitic trematode Condylocotyla pilodora.

Often empty shells of C. vulgatum are occupied by hermit crabs . These shells serve as protection against biotic factors such as predation. Studies on the Turkish coast of the Aegean Sea have shown that the habitation frequency of C. vulgatum shells was 41.7%. Thus, the shells of C. vulgatum were the second most frequently occupied of all examined snail shells by hermit crabs, namely by the following species: Diogenes pugilator , Paguristes eremita , Pagurus cuarensis , Pagurus forbesii and Pagurus prideauxi.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Costello MJ, Emblow C, White R. 2001. eds. European Register of Marine Species. A check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Patrimoines naturels 50: 463.
  2. ↑ a b c d Alf A, Haszprunar G. 2015. Mediterranean mollusks. Prosobranchia & Bivalvia. Harxheim: ConchBooks.
  3. ↑ MolluscaBase. 2019. Cerithium vulgatum Bruguière, 1792. Retrieved December 15, 2019 .
  4. ↑ a b Vitturi R, Colomba M, Castriota L, et al. 2002. Chromosome analysis using different staining techniques and fluorescent in situ hybridization in Cerithium vulgatum (Gastropoda: Cerithiidae). Hereditas 137: 101-106.
  5. ↑ Garilli V, Galletti L. 2006. Taxonomical characters for distinguishing Cerithium lividulum Risso, 1826, and C. renovatum Monterosato, 1884 (Gastropoda, Caenogastropoda, Cerithiidae). Basteria 70: 109-122.
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g Boisselier-Dubayle MC, Gofas S. 1999. Genetic relationships between marine and marginal-marine populations of Cerithium species from the Mediterranean Sea. Marine Biology 135: 671-682.
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Garilli V, Galletti L, Parrinello D. 2017. Distinct protoconchs recognized in three of the larger Mediterranean Cerithium species (Caenogastropoda: Cerithiidae). Molluscan Research.
  8. ↑ Marcus E, Marcus E. 1964. On Cerithium atratum (Born, 1778) (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia). Bulletin of Marine Science of the Gulf and Caribbean 14: 494-510.
  9. ↑ a b c Gunduz O, Sahin YM, Agathopoulos S, et al. 2014. A New Method for Fabrication of Nanohydroxyapatite and TCP from the Sea Snail Cerithium vulgatum. Journal of Nanomaterials.
  10. ↑ a b Vergés A, Becerro MA, Alcoverro T, et al. 2007. Experimental evidence of chemical deterrence against multiple herbivores in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica. Marine Ecology Progress Series 343: 107-114.
  11. ↑ a b Nicolaidou A, Nott J A. 1989c. The cytology of heavy metal accumulations in the digestive glands of three marine gastropods. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 237: 347-362.
  12. ↑ a b c Nicolaidou A, Nott J A. 1990. Mediterranean Pollution from a Ferro-nickel Smelter: Differential uptake of metals by some gastropods. Marine Pollution Bulletin 21: 137-143.
  13. ^ Strong EE, Colgan DJ, Healy JM, et al. 2011. Phylogeny of the gastropod superfamily Cerithioidea using morphology and molecules. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 162: 43-89.
  14. ^ A b Cannon LR G. 1975. On the Reproductive Biology of Cerithium moniliferum Kiener (Gastropoda: Cerithiidae) at Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef. Pacific Science 29: 353-359.
  15. ↑ Samadi S, Lambourdière J, Hérbert P, et al. 2001. Polymorphic microsatellites for the study of adults, egg masses and hatchlings of five Cerithium species (Gastropoda) from the Mediterranean sea. Molecular Ecology Notes 1: 44-46.
  16. ↑ Nicolaidou A, Nott J A. 1989a. Heavy metal pollution induced by a Ferro-Nickel smelting plant in Greece. The Science of the Total Environment 84: 113-117.
  17. ↑ Nicolaidou A, Nott J A. 1998. Metals in Sediment, Seagrass and Gastropods Near a Nickel Smelter in Greece: Possible Interactions. Marine Pollution Bulletin 36: 360-365.
  18. ↑ a b Nicolaidou A, Nott J A. 1989b. Metals in Gastropods - Metabolism and Bioreduction. Marine Environmental Research 28: 201-205.
  19. ↑ Calado R. 2006. Marine ornamental species from European waters: a valuable overlooked resource or a future threat for the conservation of marine ecosystems? Scientia Marina 70: 389-398.
  20. ^ Hall-Spencer JM, Rodolfo-Metalpa R, Martin S, et al. 2008. Volcanic carbon dioxide vents show ecosystem effects of ocean acidification. Nature 454: 96-99.
  21. ↑ Gianguzza P, Di Trapani F, Bonaviri C, et al. 2016. Size-dependent predation of the mesopredator Marthasterias glacialis (L.) (Asteroidea). Mar. Biol. 163:65.
  22. ↑ Châari M, Feki M, Neifar L. 2015. Metazoan Parasites of the Mediterranean Garfish Belone belone gracilis (Teleostei: Belonidae) as a Tool for Stock Discrimination. Open Journal of Marine Science 5: 324-334.
  23. ↑ Ateş AS, Kataǧan T, Kocataş A. 2007. Gastropod Shell Species Occupied by Hermit Crabs (Anomura: Decapoda) along the Turkish Coast of the Aegean Sea. Turk. J. Zool. 31: 13-18.