Venus crest snail
| Venus crest | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_(234941311).jpg)
Murex pect . Links of blackish protrudes Sipho from the Siphonalkanal out. |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Murex pect | ||||||||||||
| Lightfoot , 1786 |
The Venus crest or the Venus crest snail ( Murex pecten ) is a snail from the family of spiny snails (genus Murex ), which is widespread in the central Indo-Pacific . She has the most developed spiked dress in the family.
features
The creamy white to light brown snail shell of Murex pecten with numerous long spikes has a bulbous body, a protruding conical thread and a very long straight siphon channel that is significantly longer than the mouth and thread. It's thin-walled but solid. According to the growth spurts of the snail, there are three axially running varices per handle, on which there are rows of numerous long, pointed, somewhat curved spines that form three double rows on the siphon canal and become shorter towards the front end of the same. The foremost quarter of the siphon channel has no spines. The strongest, primary spines, which are curved backwards towards the apex, sit on the body circumference and thread. Further forward are thinner secondary spines at right angles to the thicker ones. There are also small, tertiary spines. The case mouth is egg-shaped, the outer lip is slightly serrated and has a tooth-like projection. In adult snails, the shell can reach a length of up to 10 cm, sometimes up to 15 cm. The operculum is horny with the nucleus at the middle edge.
distribution
The ridge of Venus occurs in the Indian Ocean on the southeast coast of Africa , around Madagascar , India and the Malay Archipelago , in the western Pacific Ocean to Melanesia , north to Japan and south to Queensland and New Caledonia .
habitat
The Venus ridge lives in the intertidal zone and below on sand or muddy bottom on the coast and on coral reefs down to a depth of 340 m.
Functions of the spiked dress
The numerous spines on the casing of the Venus crest provide efficient protection against predators. At the same time, they prevent the snail from sinking into soft mud. Since the spines in the front area below the siphon channel and around the housing mouth form a cage within which the snail can eat relatively undisturbed, it is discussed that this serves as a container for prey animals.
food
It is believed that, like other porcupines, clams and snails make up the majority of the diet of Murex pecten . So far, however, the nutritional behavior of the Venus ridge has hardly been researched.
Importance to humans
Murex pecten is collected because of its case and sold as jewelry. The meat is eaten.
The spikes of the housing can cause serious injury if a person accidentally steps on the snail.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Christopher RC Paul: The function of the spines in Murex (Murex) pecten Lightfoot and related species (Prosobranchia: Muricidae) . In: Journal of Conchology. Vol. 30, 1981, p. 285.
literature
- GE Radwin, A. D'Attilio: Murex shells of the world. An illustrated guide to the Muricidae . Stanford Univ. Press, Stanford 1976, ISBN 978-0-8047-0897-5 , x + pp. 1–284 including 192 figs. + 32 pls. Murex pecten : pp. 69-70.
Web links
- Muricidae: Murex pecten Linnaeus, 1758 . From: JM Poutiers: Gastropods . In: Kent E. Carpenter, Volker H. Niem (eds.): FAO Species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 1: Seaweeds, corals, bivalves and gastropods. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1998. p. 563.
- Fischhaus Zepkow: Family Muricidae - spiny snails