''Boonea bisuturalis'' (also known as the three-toothed odostome or the two-groove odostome) is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of small

sea snail Sea snails are slow-moving marine (ocean), marine gastropod Mollusca, molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the Taxonomic classification, taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguishe ...

, a pyramidellid

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

or micromollusk in the family Pyramidellidae, the pyrams and their allies. The species is one of eleven known species within the Boonea genus of gastropods. This species is ectoparasitic (an external parasite) on various bivalves and other gastropods. It is notorious as a pest on oyster beds. Its preferred hosts are the common periwinkle ''Littorina littorea'', the mud snail ''Tritia obsoleta'' and the eastern oyster ''Crassostrea virginica''

Description

The length of the shell varies between 2.8 mm and 5.8 mm. The smooth shell has a light brownish epidermis. The 5-6 Whorl (mollusc), whorls of the teleoconch show an impressed revolving line below the Suture (anatomy), suture. The periphery is obtusely angulated.G.W. Tryon, Manual of Conchology vol. VIII p. 357; 1886 (described as ''Odostomia bisuturalis'')
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Distribution

This marine species occurs off Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada, and can exceed distribution throughout marine areas ranging from Canada to the state of Delaware, United States, USA. The species is also notable within the Gulf of Maine.

References

* Totten, J. G. 1834. ''Description of some new shells, belonging to the coast of New England''. American Journal of Science and Arts 26: 366-369, 1 pl. * Couthouy, J. P. 1838. ''Descriptions of new species of Mollusca and shells, and remarks on several polypi found in Massachusetts Bay''. Boston Journal of Natural History 2: 53-111, pls. 1-3. * De Kay, J. E. 1843. ''Mollusca''. Zoology of New York 5: [iii] + iv + [iv] + 271 pp., 40 pls * Bartsch, P. 1909. ''Pyramidellidae of New England and the adjacent region''. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History 34: 67-113, pls. 11-14

External links

Global Invasive Species Database info
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q3172411 Gastropods described in 1822 Boonea