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Species Page:

Two-toothed Marsh Snail

Say, 1822

Melampus bidentatus

Class:

Gastropoda

Order:

Ellobiida

Family:

Ellobiidae

Ellobiidae

Image Voucher: 

ANSP 359149

Shell Information

Length (mm): 12-20

Dextral

Chirality:

This is a thin smooth shell with 5 whorls that form a short spire. It has a yellowish tan color with brown spiral bands.

Description:

Ecological Information

Distribution:

Depth (m):

Nova Scotia to Virgin Islands

0 to 0 meters

Diet:

Herbivore

Habitat:

Marine, Brackish, Terrestrial; Mangrove swamps and salt marshes on shore and in the water

Misc. Facts

This is the most common salt-marsh snail on the United States east coast. These snails can be found climbing to the top of marsh grasses as the tide ries to avoid the water as much as possible. They seem to be a favorite food of salt-marsh ducks.

Citations

MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Melampus bidentatus Say, 1822. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=160368 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.

Morris, P. A. (1987). A field guide to shells: Atlantic and Gulf coasts and the West Indies (3rd ed.). Houghton Mifflin.

Andrews, J. (1971). Seashells of the Texas Coast. University of Texas Press.

Created by Chandler Olson

Last Updated: 04/18/2024

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