Neverita duplicata
{{Short description|Species of mollusc}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Core Banks - Moon Snail.JPG
| image_caption = A live Neverita duplicata at Core Banks, North Carolina
| genus = Neverita
| species = duplicata
| authority = (Say, 1822)
| synonyms = Polinices duplicatus (Say, 1822)
}}
Neverita duplicata, common name the shark eye, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Naticidae, the moon snails.{{WRMS species|160407|Neverita duplicata (Say, 1822)|||Rosenberg, G. (2010). Neverita duplicata (Say, 1822). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at
In 2006, a paper was published which made it clear that a second, very similar, species with a smaller range of distribution also lives in part of the range inhabited by Neverita duplicata. The second species had previously been considered to be simply a form of N. duplicata, but it is now recognized as Neverita delessertiana.Huelsken, T. et al. (2006) Neverita delessertiana (Recluz in Chenu, 1843): a naticid species (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda) distinct from Neverita duplicata (Say, 1822) based on molecular data, morphological characters, and geographical distribution. Zootaxa, 1-25. [http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2006f/zt01257p025.pdf PDF].
Distribution
This is a common western Atlantic species. It is found from Massachusetts and other parts of New England, south to Florida and other states on the Gulf of Mexico, south to Honduras.
Description
The shell has a flattened globular shape, and reaches about {{convert|88|to|90|mm}} in maximum dimension. The color of the shell is variable, but is often a greyish brown. The central apex of the shell is often a dark blue in fresh shells, which can make the shell somewhat resemble an eye. On the underside, there is a large brown callus which partly blocks the umbilicus of the shell.
The maximum recorded shell length is 82 mm.Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. {{doi|10.1371/journal.pone.0008776|doi-access=free}}.
Habitat
This moon snail is found on sandy shores just below the low tide line. In most of its range, the empty shell is very commonly washed up on beaches, as also is the operculum and the sand collar.
The minimum recorded depth for this species is 0 m; the maximum recorded depth is 58 m.
Feeding habits
The shark eye (like all moon snails) is predatory, feeding mainly on bivalves buried in the sand. This snail drills a neat "countersunk" circular hole through the shell of its prey species, and then feeds on the soft tissue within.
Gallery
File:Atlantic Moon Snail 001.jpg|A model of a live individual of Neverita duplicata
File:Neverita duplicata 003.jpg|Apical view of Neverita duplicata
File:Neverita duplicata 002.jpg|Lateral view of the same shell
File:Neverita duplicata 001.jpg|Umbilical view of the same shell
File:Neverita_duplicata_01.JPG|Fossil Neverita duplicata from the Pliocene of Florida
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Neverita duplicata}}
- [http://www.jaxshells.org/0408ii.htm Neverita duplicata at Jax Shells]
- [http://www.gastropods.com/5/Shell_1245.shtml Neverita duplicata], Gastropods.com, accessed 16 January 2011
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