''Nodilittorina pyramidalis'', commonly known as a pyramid periwinkle, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...
, a marine
gastropod
The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...
mollusk
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.
The subspecies ''Nodilittorina pyramidalis pascua''
Rosewater, 1970 is a synonym of ''
Echinolittorina pascua
''Echinolittorina pascua'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.
Description
The shell grows to a length of 15 mm
Distribution
This species is distributed in the ...
''
(Rosewater, 1970)
Description
The pyramid periwinkle is small, ranging from 2.5 cm to less than 1 cm in length. It is pale grey in colour, with two rows of nodules on the central whirl of its body which are a pale buff colour.
It lives on or above the high tide line, usually clinging to vertical surfaces. Many individuals will cluster together in crevices to maintain moisture.
Distribution
Pyramid periwinkles are endemic to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and can be found in abundance on both the east and west coasts.
References
* Liu, J.Y.
uiyu(ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. China Science Press. 1267 pp
External links
Quoy J.R.C. & Gaimard J.P. (1832-1835). Voyage de découvertes de l'"Astrolabe" exécuté par ordre du Roi, pendant les années 1826-1829, sous le commandement de M. J. Dumont d'Urville. Zoologie. Gmelin J.F. (1791). Vermes. In: Gmelin J.F. (Ed.) Caroli a Linnaei Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Ed. 13. Tome 1(6). G.E. Beer, Lipsiae [Leipzig pp. 3021-3910">eipzig">Gmelin J.F. (1791). Vermes. In: Gmelin J.F. (Ed.) Caroli a Linnaei Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Ed. 13. Tome 1(6). G.E. Beer, Lipsiae [Leipzig
pp. 3021-3910
Reid, D. G.; Williams, S. T. (2004). The subfamily Littorininae (Gastropoda, Littorinidae) in the temperate Southern Hemisphere: the genera Nodilittorina, Austrolittorina and Afrolittorina. Records of the Australian Museum. 56: 75-122
Littorinidae
Gastropods described in 1833
{{Littorinidae-stub