Glossaulax didyma

Glossaulax didyma
A live and active individual of Glossaulax didyma, viewed from above
Five views of a shell of Glossaulax didyma
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:	Naticoidea
Family:	Naticidae
Genus:	Glossaulax
Species:	G. didyma
Binomial name
Glossaulax didyma (Röding, 1798)
Synonyms
Albula didyma Röding, 1798 Natica ampla Iwakawa, 1900 Natica chemnitzii Récluz in Chenu, 1843 (doubtful synonym) Natica didyma (Röding, 1798) Natica glaucina Lamarck, J.B.P.A. de, 1822 Natica lamarckiana Reeve, L.A., 1855 Natica petiveriana Récluz, C. in Chenu, J.C., 1843 Natica problematica Reeve, L.A., 1855 Natica robusta Dunker, R.W., 1860 Neverita bicolor Philippi, 1849 Neverita didyma (Röding, 1798) Polinices didyma (Röding, 1798) Polinices ephebus Hedley, 1915 Polinices papyracea Busch, von dem in Philippi, R.A., 1845 Polinices (Glossaulax) aulacoglossa Pilsbry, H.A. & E.G. Vanatta, 1908, "1909" Polinices (Glossaulax) ephebus Hedley, C., 1915

50 second video of snails (most likely Neverita didyma and Cerithium muscarum) feeding on the sea floor in the Sea of Cortez, Puerto Peñasco, Mexico

Glossaulax didyma, common name the bladder moon snail, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Naticidae, the moon snails.

Egg mass

Subspecies

• Glossaulax didyma ampla (Philippi, 1849)
• Glossaulax didyma hayashii (Azuma, 1961)
• Glossaulax didyma hosoyai (Kira, 1959)

Description

The size of an adult shell varies between 20 mm and 90 mm. Like all naticids, this species is a carnivore and a predator.

Distribution

This marine species is found in the Indian Ocean along Madagascar, Mozambique and South Africa.

References

• Dautzenberg, Ph. (1929). Mollusques testacés marins de Madagascar. Faune des Colonies Francaises, Tome III
• MacNae, W. & M. Kalk (eds) (1958). A natural history of Inhaca Island, Mozambique. Witwatersrand Univ. Press, Johannesburg. I-iv, 163 pp.
• Branch, G.M. et al. (2002). Two Oceans. 5th impression. David Philip, Cate Town & Johannesburg
• Kilburn, R.N. & Rippey, E. (1982) Sea Shells of Southern Africa. Macmillan South Africa, Johannesburg, xi + 249 pp. page(s): 71
• Steyn, D.G. & Lussi, M. (1998) Marine Shells of South Africa. An Illustrated Collector’s Guide to Beached Shells. Ekogilde Publishers, Hartebeespoort, South Africa, ii + 264 pp. page(s): 50
• Hollman M. (2008) Naticidae. In Poppe G.T. (ed.) Philippine marine mollusks, vol. 1: 482-501, pls 186-195. Hackenheim: Conchbooks.
• Torigoe K. & Inaba A. (2011) Revision on the classification of Recent Naticidae. Bulletin of the Nishinomiya Shell Museum 7: 133 + 15 pp., 4 pls

External links

• Gastropods.com : Polinices (Glossaulax) didyma; accessed : 14 April 2011
• Polinices didyma at National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
• Seashells of NSW info