Nassarius pyrrhus
A small Australian nassa with a noduled, folded shell.
Last updated
Naturalis Biodiversity Center · via Wikipedia: Nassarius pyrrhus · CC0
Nassarius pyrrhus, called the red-banded nassa, is a sea snail and marine gastropod mollusc belonging to the Nassariidae family, which includes the nassa mud snails and dog whelks. Its shell, which ranges from 14 mm to 22 mm in length, is ovate and conical. The spire is short and pointed, made up of seven or eight convex whorls. These whorls have small nodules at their upper parts and are covered with slightly wavy longitudinal folds.
On the body whorl, these folds often fade partly near the edge of the outer lip, and at the base of this whorl, a few grooves cut across the folds, creating a granular texture. The aperture is whitish, somewhat rounded, and slightly narrower at the top. The thick outer lip has a faint raised ridge, and its inner side is marked with many fine grooves. This species is found only in Australia, along the coasts of New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumMollusca
- ClassGastropoda
- SubclassCaenogastropoda
- OrderNeogastropoda
- FamilyNassariidae
- GenusNassarius
- SpeciesNassarius pyrrhus
Named by (Menke, 1843)
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 pyrrhus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 572154 (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 pyrrhus
Where the nassarius pyrrhus has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (1,247 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 77 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)
Quick Facts
- Species
- pyrrhus
Facts from the source article.
Background
The shell of Nassarius pyrrhus is ovate and conical, with a short, pointed spire composed of seven or eight convex whorls. The upper part of each whorl bears nodules, and the entire external surface is ornamented with slightly undulated longitudinal folds.
On the body whorl, these folds often partially disappear near the edge of the outer lip, and a few striae at the base intersect the folds crosswise, forming granulations. The whitish aperture is subrotund and slightly narrowed above. The thick outer lip is accompanied by a slightly prominent external varix, and its internal part is marked with numerous fine striae.
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 pyrrhus (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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