Nassarius fraterculus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.[1] The shell grows to a length of 10 mm. This marine species occurs off China, Korea and Japan, but has been introduced to the Pacific Northwest of North America through commercial oyster shipments.[2]

Nassarius fraterculus
Nassarius fraterculus shells
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Family: Nassariidae
Genus: Nassarius
Species:
N. fraterculus
Binomial name
Nassarius fraterculus
(Dunker, 1860)
Synonyms[1]
  • Hima fraterculus (Dunker, 1860)
  • Nassa (Hima) fraterculus Dunker, 1860
  • Nassa fraterculus Dunker, 1860
  • Nassa hypolia Pilsbry, 1895
  • Nassa nodosa Marrat, 1880
  • Nassa semiplicata A. Adams, 1853
  • Nassa semiplicata hiradoensis Pilsbry, 1904
  • Nassa semiplicata hizenensis Pilsbry, 1904
  • Nassarius (Hima) fraterculus (Dunker, 1860)
  • Nassarius (Tritonella) fraterculus (Dunker, 1860)
  • Nassarius (Tritonella) fraterculus hiradoensis (Pilsbry, 1904)
  • Nassarius (Tritonella) semiplicatus (A. Adams, 1853)
  • Nassarius (Tritonella) semiplicatus hizenensis (Pilsbry, 1904)
  • Reticunassa fratercula (Dunker, 1860)
  • Reticunassa fratercula hiradoensis (Pilsbry, 1904)
  • Reticunassa fraterculus (Dunker, 1860)
  • Reticunassa fraterculus hypolius (Pilsbry, 1895)
  • Tritia (Reticunassa) hiradoensis (Pilsbry, 1904)
  • Tritia fratercula (Dunker, 1860)

Habitat

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Nassarius fraterculus shell

N. fraterculus inhabits intertidal regions, foraging on crushed mussels.[3]

Relationship to other invasive species

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In the Pacific Northwest, N. fraterculus has been shown to benefit from the presence of Batillaria attramentaria, another invasive species.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Nassarius fraterculus (Dunker, 1860). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 24 October 2012.
  2. ^ Carlton, James; Elton, Charles (January 1992). "Introduced marine and estuarine mollusks of North America: an end-of-the-20th-century perspective". Journal of Shellfish Research. 11 (2): 489–505 – via ResearchGate.
  3. ^ Zhang, Yue; Goshima, Seiji (2013). "Effects of crushed conspecifics and starvation periods on the foraging behavior of the marine gastropod sea snail Nassarius fraterculus" (PDF). Journal of Marine Animals and Their Ecology. 6 (2): 20–27.
  4. ^ Wonham, Marjorie J.; O'Connor, Mary; Harley, Christopher D. G. (2005). "Positive effects of a dominant invader on introduced and native mudflat species". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 289: 109–116. doi:10.3354/meps289109. ISSN 0171-8630.
  • Cernohorsky W. O. (1984). Systematics of the family Nassariidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Bulletin of the Auckland Institute and Museum 14: 1–356.
  • Turgeon, D.; Quinn, J.F.; Bogan, A.E.; Coan, E.V.; Hochberg, F.G.; Lyons, W.G.; Mikkelsen, P.M.; Neves, R.J.; Roper, C.F.E.; Rosenberg, G.; Roth, B.; Scheltema, A.; Thompson, F.G.; Vecchione, M.; Williams, J.D. (1998). Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: mollusks. 2nd ed. American Fisheries Society Special Publication, 26. American Fisheries Society: Bethesda, MD (USA). ISBN 1-888569-01-8. IX, 526 + cd-rom pp. page(s): 97
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