Oxystele sinensis

Oxystele sinensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Vetigastropoda
Order: Trochida
Superfamily: Trochoidea
Family: Trochidae
Genus: Oxystele
Species:
O. sinensis
Binomial name
Oxystele sinensis
(Gmelin, 1791) [1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Diloma sinensis (Gmelin, 1791)
  • Oxystele capensis (Gmelin, 1791)
  • Trochus sinensis Gmelin, 1791


The pink-lipped topshell (Oxystele sinensis) also known as the rosy-base topsnail,[3] is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails.[2]

Description

The pink-lipped topshell has monomorphic purplish-black shell with a crimson inner lip.[4] The shell in adults is between 18 mm and 51 mm.

Distribution

This marine species occurs from False Bay to South Transkei near the Mbashe River, South Africa.[5][6]

Ecology

Especially small individuals of this species that live in the intertidal zone are predated upon by rock lobsters. Larger individuals largely escape this predator by migrating to deeper waters, where they find a size refuge.[5]

References

  1. ^ Gmelin, Syst. Nat., xiii, p. 3583.
  2. ^ a b Oxystele sinensis (Gmelin, 1791). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 1 May 2010.
  3. ^ "Oxystele sinensis (Gmelin, 1791)". www.catalogueoflife.org. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  4. ^ Heller, J.; Dempster, Y. (1991). "Detection of two coexisting species of Oxystele (Gastropoda: Trochidae) by morphological and electrophoretic analyses". Journal of Zoology. 223 (3): 395–418. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1991.tb04773.x.
  5. ^ a b van Zyl, R.F.; Mayfield, S.; Pulfrich, A.; Griffiths, C.L. (1998). "Predation by West Coast rock lobsters (Jasus lalandii) on two species of winkle (Oxystele sinensis and Turbo cidaris)". South African Journal of Zoology. 33 (4): 203–209. doi:10.1080/02541858.1998.11448473.
  6. ^ Herbert, D. G. (2015). An annotated catalogue and bibliography of the taxonomy, synonymy and distribution of the Recent Vetigastropoda of South Africa (Mollusca). p. 1.


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