Malacology
Malacology is the study of mollusks. This includes animals like octopus, snails, slugs, and clams. It is the second largest phylum of animals, making them one of the most successful groups on the planet. There are over 80,000 described species of mollusks with many more left to be discovered. Mullusca is composed of 8 recognized classes including Cephalopoda, Gastropoda, Polyplacophora, Scaphapoda, Monoplacophorans, the Aplacophorans, Caudofoveata and Solenogastres, and Bivalvia.
Shark Eye
(Say, 1822)
Neverita duplicata
Class:
Gastropoda
Order:
Littorinimorpha
Family:
Naticidae
Image Voucher:
ANSP 306880
Ecological Information
Distribution:
Depth (m):
Massachusetts to Honduras
0 to 58 meters
Diet:
Carnivore; They eat a variety of bivalves.
Habitat:
Marine; Soft substrates
Misc. Facts
They feed on bivalves by drilling holes into their shells and "slurping" out the soft bodies left behind. This is done by secreting an acidic mucus that begins to soften the bivalve shells and using a specialized radula to drill the hole.
Citations
MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Neverita duplicata (Say, 1822). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=160407 on 2021-06-10
Rosenberg, G., F. Moretzsohn, and E. F. Garc�a. 29. Gastropoda (Mollusca) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 579�699 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico�Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Texas.