''Sabia australis'' is a small limpet-like

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

of sea snail, belonging to the marine gastropod family

Hipponicidae ''Hipponicidae'', common name hoof shells or hoof snails, is a family of small sea snails, limpet-like marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Vanikoroidea.Bouchet, P. (2012). Hipponicidae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Speci ...

, also known as hoof snails.

Description

''Sabia australis'' typically possesses a conical shell, with colors ranging from white to yellow or orange. The surface of its shell is usually rough and textured, providing protection against environmental circumstances and serving as camouflage against predators. The size of its shell varies depending on factors such as age and environmental conditions, but typically reaches up to 30 millimeters in length.

Reproduction

''Sabia australis'' exhibits protandric hermaphroditism. Female ''Sabia australis'' lay up to 10 eggs, primarily during winter, each egg containing 9 to 24 embryos that hatch into crawling juveniles. These juveniles then drift or swim to find a host to settle on, often clustering on a single host. ''Sabia australis'' is a bisexual species, with its sexual development influenced by the proximity of

conspecifics Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organis ...

. For example, if it settles on a host alone, it quickly develops into a female, with its male phase being very short or nonexistent. However, if it settles next to a female, it develops into a male and lives on the back of a female.

Diet

''Sabia australis'' inhabits the shells of other mollusks and feeds on their fecal pellets. It typically positions itself on the shell area with direct access to its host's excretions.

Distribution

This species is native to southeastern and southwestern Australia, including New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria, Southern Australia, and Western Australia, where it is widespread and common. It is widespread and commonly found in Tasmanian waters. ''Sabia australis'' is considered

cryptogenic Cryptogenic refers to something of obscure or unknown origin. It is commonly used to refer to: *Cryptogenic disease *Cryptogenic species A cryptogenic species ("cryptogenic" being derived from Greek " κρυπτός", meaning hidden, and "γέν� ...

to O'ahu, Hawai'i.

Habitat

''Sabia australis'' is found in the intertidal zone and shallow waters.

References

* Dautzenberg, Ph. (1929). ''Contribution à l'étude de la faune de Madagascar'': Mollusca marina testacea. Faune des colonies françaises, III(fasc. 4). Société d'Editions géographiques, maritimes et coloniales: Paris. 321-636, plates IV-VII pp. Hipponicidae Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Gastropods described in 1819 Fauna of the Indian Ocean {{Hipponicidae-stub