Struthiolaria papulosa
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Struthiolaria papulosa, whose common name is the ostrich foot snail or ostrich foot shell, or Tākai in Māori, is a species of medium-sized sea snail native to New Zealand.[1]
Description
Struthiolaria papulosa has an average body length of 77 mm, a body volume of 26.9 cm3 and a wet body mass of 47 g.[2] The shell is dextrally coiled.[2] The upper part of the shell is small and cone-shaped made of two swirls, called the protoconch. On this protoconch there are fine lines very close to each other.[3] The opening of the shell has an oval shape with thick, turned-out and wavy lips with a thickened area at the top of the opening.[3]
Geographic Distribution
S. papulosa is native to New Zealand but can also be found in certain places along the south and east coast of Australia.[2] In New Zealand, S. papulosa is found along the coast in both the North and South Island.[4][2]
Habitat
S. papulosa prefers shallow salt water or on sand flats in sheltered or open coasts.[5]
Life cycle
The life cycle of S. papulosa is divided in four stages: egg, larva, juvenile and adult.[4] Adult S. papulosa release their sperm and eggs into the water, which can take up to 1 hour.[6] Fertilization occurs externally, after which the fertilized egg starts developing. The egg starts forming a larval shell 9-10 hours after fertilization and, around 3 days later, the larvae grow into juvenile sea snails.[4] S. papulosa live an average of 5 years but can live up to 25 years.[6]
Ecology
Diet
S. papulosa is a filter feeder that feeds on algae, plankton and other small marine animals.[6] It filters suspended matter from the water with a specialized filtering structure, or uses its tooth-lined tongue to graze seaweed from the bottom of the sea.[7]
Predators, parasites and diseases
S. papulosa has many predators including fish, birds and reptiles.[4] The egg and larva stage are eaten by many plankton feeders but the most common S. papulosa predator is Asteroidea, especially starfish.[8] S. papulosa protects itself from being eaten by Asteroidea by repeatedly doing somersaults.[8]
Ecology
Although the origin of this snail is unclear, it is believed that S. errata is a possible ancestor.[3]
References
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