Nassarius pauperatus
A marine gastropod endemic to Australian waters.
Last updated
The impoverished dog whelk (Nassarius pauperatus) is a marine gastropod mollusk belonging to the family Nassariidae, which includes the nassa mud snails and dog whelks. This sea snail is found only in Australian waters, with a range extending off New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. Its shell, which measures between 12 mm and 20 mm in length, is ovate and conical, tapering to a pointed summit. The pyramidal spire consists of six or seven smooth, convex whorls.
These whorls are marked by prominent, convex longitudinal folds, which are intersected only near the base and on the upper two or three whorls by a few deep transverse striae. On those upper whorls, the striae become finer and more closely spaced, though they rarely cover the entire surface. Similarly, the longitudinal folds are absent from the right side of the body whorl. The shell’s color is a violaceous white, with a dark red zone bordering the suture and a broader, browner band encircling the middle of the body whorl.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumMollusca
- ClassGastropoda
- SubclassCaenogastropoda
- OrderNeogastropoda
- FamilyNassariidae
- GenusNassarius
- SpeciesNassarius pauperatus
Named by (Lamarck, 1822)
Close relatives
Other species of Nassarius with a Codexery entry.
- Nassarius cinctellus Nassarius cinctellus
- Nassarius comptus Nassarius comptus
- Nassarius crassiusculus Nassarius crassiusculus
- Nassarius deshayesianus Nassarius deshayesianus
- Nassarius distortus Nassarius distortus
- Nassarius dorsatus Nassarius dorsatus
- Nassarius glans Nassarius glans
- Nassarius granifer Nassarius granifer
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Nassarius pauperatus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 572153 (CC BY 4.0)
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.02 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Nassarius pauperatus
Where the nassarius pauperatus has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (1,059 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 80 inland records left out (institution coordinates). 1 isolated far-off record not drawn.
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)
Quick Facts
- Length of shell
- 12 mm (0.472 in) to 20 mm / 0.787 in
- Number of whorls
- six or seven
- Shell shape
- ovate
- conical
- pointed at the summit
- Spire
- pyramidal
- Family
- Nassariidae
- Common name
- impoverished dog whelk
Facts from the source article.
More in Marine Snails: Ceriths, Nassas and Conchs
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Nassarius pauperatus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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