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Miniature Melo

Micromelo undatus (Bruguière 1792)

Comprehensive Description

provided by Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology
Micromelo undatus (Bruguière, 1792)

Bulla undata Bruguiere, 1792:380.

Micromelo undata Bruguiere.—Pilsbry, 1893:386, 391, pl. 59: figs. 20–24.—Johnson, 1934:148.—Warmke and Abbott, 1961: 141.

Micromelo undatus Brug. [sic].—Nicklès, 1958:39.

PREVIOUS ASCENSION RECORDS.—None.

PRESENT MATERIAL.—2 specimens (7.7 mm) Ascension, K. M. Hutchfield; 2 specimens (11.3 mm) [one collected alive] ASC 15, R. B. Manning, May 1971.

DISTRIBUTION.—Lower Florida Keys and West Indies (Warmke and Abbott, 1961), Cape Verde Islands (Nicklès, 1958), Ascension.
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bibliographic citation
Rosewater, Joseph. 1975. "An annotated list of the marine mollusks of Ascension Island, South Atlantic Ocean." Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 1-41. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.189

Micromelo undatus

provided by wikipedia EN

Micromelo undatus, common name the miniature melo, is an uncommon species of small sea snail or bubble snail, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aplustridae.[1]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Caribbean, Florida, Costa Rica, Panama, Bermuda, Brazil,[2] Cape Verde Islands, Canary Islands, Ascension Island, Eastern Atlantic, South Africa, Japan, Thailand,Bali, and the State of Hawaii.

Description

Micromelo undatus shells.
Micromelo undatus, head end towards the upper right.

The thinly calcified shell is covered with undulating brown lines, crossed with two other spiral lines. The shell length is 12 to 17 mm. The maximum recorded shell length is 17 mm.[3]

The large, colorful body is blue with white spots. The margin of the foot has a diffuse blue line.

Habitat

Minimum recorded depth is 0 m.[3] Maximum recorded depth is 5 m.[3] It lives on soft substrates and on the algal turf areas of rocky reefs.

Feeding habits

This snail feeds on cirratulinid polychaete worms. The toxins from these worms become incorporated into the snail's tissues and are then used for the bubble snail's own defense.

References

  1. ^ Micromelo undatus (Bruguière, 1792). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 8 January 2019.
  2. ^ "Conquiliologistas do Brasil". Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
  3. ^ a b c Welch J. J. (2010). "The “Island Rule” and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.

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Micromelo undatus: Brief Summary

provided by wikipedia EN

Micromelo undatus, common name the miniature melo, is an uncommon species of small sea snail or bubble snail, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aplustridae.

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Distribution

provided by World Register of Marine Species
Ascension I., Cape Verde Is, Canary Is., Azores, the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, St. Lucia, Jamaica, Curaçao, and Brazil.

Reference

Feliciano, K., Malaquias, M.A.E., Stout, C., Brenzinger, B., Gosliner, T.M. & Valdés, Á. (2021). Molecular and morphological analyses reveal pseudocryptic diversity in Micromelo undatus (Bruguière, 1792) (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Aplustridae). Systematics and Biodiversity. DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2021.1939458: 1-25.

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Bouchet, Philippe, P.