''Terebra subulata'' 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 ...

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 ...

Terebridae The Terebridae, commonly referred to as auger shells or auger snails, is a group or family of small to large predatory marine gastropods in the superfamily Conoidea.Gofas, S. (2012). Terebridae. World Register of Marine Specie2012-10-12 These ga ...

, the auger snails.

Description

Shells of ''Terebra subulata'' can reach a length of and a width of .George Washington Tryon (1885). ''Manual of Conchology, structural and systematic, with illustrations of the species'', vol. VII; Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. ''T

rebra Rebra ( hu, Nagyrebra) is a commune in Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Rebra. The river Rebra (river), Rebra passes through the commune. References

Communes in Bistrița-Năsăud Count ...

subulata'' Linn., p. 10. They have about 25 well-rounded whorls and a pointed spire. The aperture is very small and the outer lip is thin. The columella is twisted and the fasciole small. The anterior canal is truncated and curved. The shell is sculptured with fine axial threads and irregular weak spiral grooves, and the area below the suture raised into a spiral band. The color of the shell is cream with two rows of dark brown square blotches on the early whorls and three rows on the body whorl.R. Venkitesan, A. K. Mukherjee (2012).
Contribution to the knowledge on Indian marine molluscs: Family Terebridae.
' Records of the Zoological Survey of India 111 (3), pp. 49–77, here p. 69.

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found from the coast of East Africa and Madagascar to Eastern Polynesia, Japan, Hawaii, and Australia, at depth of 0 to 10 m.

Diet

''Terebra subulata'' feeds on sand-dwelling

Polychaeta Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are m ...

and

Enteropneusta The acorn worms or Enteropneusta are a hemichordate class of invertebrates consisting of one order of the same name. The closest non-hemichordate relatives of the Enteropneusta are the echinoderms. There are 111 known species of acorn worm in the ...

. The prey is stung with the snail's

radula The radula (, ; plural radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food ...

teeth and paralysed by a venom, which is toxic to annelids and nematodes, but harmless to vertebrates.

References

* Bratcher T. & Cernohorsky W.O. (1987). ''Living terebras of the world. A monograph of the recent Terebridae of the world''. American Malacologists, Melbourne, Florida & Burlington, Massachusetts. 240 pp. * Terryn, Y. (2007). Terebridae: A Collectors Guide. Conchbooks & Natural Art. 59 pp + plates * Severns, M. (2011). Shells of the Hawaiian Islands - The Sea Shells. Conchbooks, Hackenheim. 564 pp * Liu, J.Y. uiyu(ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. China Science Press. 1267 pp. * Steyn, D. G.; Lussi, M. (2005). Offshore Shells of Southern Africa: A pictorial guide to more than 750 Gastropods. Published by the authors. pp. i–vi, 1–289.

External links

Linnaeus, C. (1767). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Ed. 12. 1., Regnum Animale. 1 & 2. Holmiae

Fedosov, A. E.; Malcolm, G.; Terryn, Y.; Gorson, J.; Modica, M. V.; Holford, M.; Puillandre, N. (2020). Phylogenetic classification of the family Terebridae (Neogastropoda: Conoidea). Journal of Molluscan Studies. 85(4): 359-388
{{Commons category Terebridae Molluscs of the Indian Ocean Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean Molluscs described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus