4/14/24, 9:58 AM Nassarius arcularia - Wikipedia

Nassarius arcularia
Nassarius arcularia, the casket nassa or the little box
Nassarius arcularia
dog whelk, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod
mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog
whelks.[1] It is found in tropical and subtropical coastal waters
across the world, inhabiting muddy areas close to the
shoreline.[1][2]

There are two subspecies :

Nassarius arcularia arcularia (Linnaeus, 1758): accepted as

Nassarius arcularia. Five views of a shell of Nassarius
Nassarius arcularia plicatus (Röding, 1798) arcularia

Subspecies brought into synonymy Scientific classification

Nassarius arcularius arcularius (Linnaeus, 1758) accepted Domain: Eukaryota

as Nassarius arcularia arcularia (Linnaeus, 1758) Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Description Class: Gastropoda
The shell size varies between 18 mm and 40 mm
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
The ovate, ventricose shell is pretty thick. It is composed of six Order: Neogastropoda
or seven flattened whorls, angular above, and the lowest of Family: Nassariidae
which forms of itself half the shell. This body whorl is very
much inflated, and furnished externally with thick, longitudinal, Genus: Nassarius
distant folds, which are intersected by transverse striae. The Species: N. arcularia
upper extremity of each fold is terminated by a conical tubercle,
Binomial name
sometimes separated from it by a transverse stria which divides
it superficially into two. The upper whorls are convex, loaded Nassarius arcularia
also with compact folds and transverse striae. But in these the (Linnaeus, 1758)
tubercles are slightly perceptible, and upon some specimens not Synonyms[1]
at all. The white aperture is ovate, and terminates at the summit
by an excavated notch at the top of the outer lip, and by a fold of list of synonyms [show]
the inner lip. The depth of the cavity is brown or of a violet- Arcularia coronata Link, 1807
color, marked with transverse, whitish bands. The outer lip is Buccinum arcularia Linnaeus,
thin upon the edge, denticulated in a part of its length, deeply
1758 (original combination)
striated internally. The columella is arcuated, covered by the
inner lip, which is enlarged upon the body of the shell, and Distorsio arcularia Röding, 1798
forms a semicircular callosity, often thick, polished, marked at Nassa (Arcularia)
the lower part by transverse guttules, and terminated by an scalariformis Mörch, 1852

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oblique keel, which is prolonged to a point. The color of this (invalid: junior secondary
shell is generally ash, externally. But sometimes it is bluish, homonym of Buccinum
ornamented with one or several transverse, white or brown scalariforme Kiener, 1834)
bands. Another brown band extends always between the
tubercles of the body whorl. The operculum is oval and Nassa (Nassa) arcularia
rounded, membranous and denticulated upon one of its edges. (Linnaeus, 1758)

Nassa arcularia (Linnaeus,

This shell, which is very common, has a thickness of up to 3
1758)
centimetres (1.2 in),[1] vary in form. The whorls are more or less
elongated, the longitudinal folds and the transverse striae, Nassarius (Nassarius)
sometimes completely disappear upon the body whorl, arcularia (Linnaeus, 1758) ·
nevertheless, tubercles remain which cover this shell, and the accepted, alternate
furrows at the base, which are very well marked. The coloring representation
varies equally, some specimens are entirely white. Others are of
a uniform reddish or chestnut color. The young of this species Nassarius (Nassarius)
have folds and striae much more prominent. In them the lip is arcularius (Linnaeus, 1758)
thin, smooth, and the callosity does not exist upon the Nassarius (Arcularia)
columella.[3] coronata Link, H.F., 1807
Nassarius arcularia arcularia
Distribution (Linnaeus, 1758) · accepted,
This species occurs in the Indian Ocean off East Africa, alternate representation
Madagascar and Mozambique and in the Central and Western
Nassarius arcularia arcularius
Pacific Ocean; off East India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines,
(Linnaeus, 1758) (wrong gender
Indonesia, Ryukyu Islands, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia,
New Hebrides, Fiji, Tonga Islands and Australia (Northern agreement (arcularia is a
Territory, Queensland). noun in apposition))
Nassarius pullus Habe &
References Kosuge, 1966

1. Nassarius arcularius (Linnaeus, 1758) (http://www.marinesp Nassarius rumphii Deshayes,

ecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=140491). Retrieved G.P. & H. Milne-Edwards, 1844
through: World Register of Marine Species on 24 February
Nassarius scalariformis Mörch,
2011.
O.A.L., 1852
2. "Nassarius arcularia (Linnaeus, 1758)" (https://www.gbif.org/
species/4368308). Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Retrieved 28 March 2024.
3. Kiener (1840). General species and iconography of recent shells : comprising the Massena
Museum, the collection of Lamarck, the collection of the Museum of Natural History, and the
recent discoveries of travellers; Boston :W.D. Ticknor,1837 (described as Buccinum arcularia)

Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systemae naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera,
species, cum characteribus, differetiis, synonymis, locis.v. Holmiae : Laurentii Salvii 824 pp.
Mörch, O.A.L. 1852. Catalogus Conchyliorum quae reliquit d. Alphonso d'Aguirra & Gadea Comes
de Yoldi, regis daniae cubiculariorum princeps, ordinis dannebrogici in prima classe & ordinis
caroli Tertii eques. Part 1. Cephalophora. Copenhagen : Hafinae Vol. 1 170 pp.
Dautzenberg, Ph. (1929). Mollusques testacés marins de Madagascar. Faune des Colonies
Francaises, Tome III
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Cernohorsky W. O. (1984). Systematics of the Family Nassariidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda).

Bulletin of the Auckland Institute and Museum 14: 1–356
Wilson, B. 1994. Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods. Kallaroo, WA : Odyssey
Publishing Vol. 2 370 pp.

External links
Media related to Nassarius arcularia at Wikimedia Commons
"Nassarius (Nassarius) arcularius arcularius" (http://www.gastropods.com/0/Shell_160.shtml).
Gastropods.com. Retrieved 24 February 2011.

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