Acanthinucella punctulata
{{Short description|Species of gastropod}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Acanthina punctulata.jpg
| image_caption = A shell of A. punctutulata occupied by a hermit crab
| taxon = Acanthinucella punctulata
| authority = (Sowerby G.B. I, 1835)
| synonyms =
- Monoceros punctulatum Sowerby, 1835
- Purpura lapilloides Conrad, 1837
}}
Acanthinucella punctulata (previously known as Acanthina punctulata), common name: the spotted thorn drupe, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.{{WRMS species|404474|Acanthinucella punctulata (Sowerby, 1835)||16 February 2011}}
Description
These snails are small in size, about 2.5 cm. in length. The shell has dark spiral markings resembling wide dots or dashes.
Distribution
These snails are found on the West Coast of North America, from Monterey, California, to northern Baja California, Mexico.
Habitat
A. punctulata lives on rocky shores in the upper intertidal zone.
File:Mating whelks at tide pools.jpg in central California]]
References
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{{Reflist}}
- McLean, James H., 1978 ‘'Marine Shells of Southern California'’, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Museum, Science Series 24, Revised Edition: 1–104
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Acanthinucella Punctulata}}
Category:Gastropods described in 1835
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