Trivia arctica
Species
Photographer / copyright holder
Steve Wilkinson
Length = 9mm. Collected from North Devon on Jul-82.
Trivia arctica
<p><em>Trivia arctica</em> (Pulteney, 1799)</p>
Trivia arctica
Vernacular names
Northern cowrie; Grottie-buckie (Scots); Cragen Fair y gogledd (Welsh);
Distribution and status
Ecology and behaviour
Mainly sublittoral, but occurs near LWS on some rocky shores.Near its compound ascidian prey. The mantle can emit acid in defence. Vase-shape egg capsules are inserted into ascidians up to the neck of the vase. When covered in water, echinospira larvae are released to drift in the water column before settling on the sea floor and transforming into the juvenile shell form.
Similar species
Key identification features
- Adult has typical cowrie shaped shell and lacks dark marks on dorsum of shell [6].
- Foot, head, tentacles, and siphon yellowish white with some lemon-yellow and or white marks [2].
- Mantle edges often have heavy dark splashes of colour, and a fine yellow border [1].
- Rest of mantle has few dark marks.
- Usual maximum size 10mm
References and links
Fretter, V. and Graham, A. 1962. British prosobranch molluscs. London, Ray Society.
Graham, A. 1988. Prosobranch and pyramidellid gastropods. London.
Yonge, C.M. and Thompson, T.E. 1976. Living marine molluscs. London.
Picton, B.E. & Morrow, C.C., 2010. [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland for ascidian images (EML).
Taxon version key
[NBNSYS0000178458]
Sort order
2030
Taxonomic group
Marine snail
Adult shell