Nodilittorina pyramidalis

Nodilittorina pyramidalis, commonly known as a pyramid periwinkle, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.[1]

Nodilittorina pyramidalis
at Long Reef, Australia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:
Littorinoidea
Family:
Littorinidae
Genus:
Nodilittorina
Species:
N. pyramidalis
Binomial name
Nodilittorina pyramidalis
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)
Synonyms[1]
  • Echinolittorina pyramidalis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)
  • Littorina pyramidalis Quoy & Gaimard, 1833 (original combination)
  • Trochus nodulosus Gmelin, 1791 (invalid: junior homonym of Trochus nodulosus Solander, 1766)

The subspecies Nodilittorina pyramidalis pascua Rosewater, 1970 is a synonym of Echinolittorina pascua (Rosewater, 1970)

Description

The pyramid periwinkle is small, ranging from 2.5 cm to less than 1 cm in length. It is pale grey in colour, with two rows of nodules on the central whirl of its body which are a pale buff colour.

It lives on or above the high tide line, usually clinging to vertical surfaces. Many individuals will cluster together in crevices to maintain moisture.

Distribution

Pyramid periwinkles are endemic to Australia and can be found in abundance on both the east and west coasts.

References
  1. Nodilittorina pyramidalis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833). WoRMS (2010). Nodilittorina pyramidalis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=437429 on 6 June 2010 .
  • Liu, J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. China Science Press. 1267 pp
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