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TRIMUSCULIDAE |
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Trimusculus conicus (Angas, 1867) Description: Shell conical, low to medium in height, base almost circular but often irregular in shape. Apex at or behind centre. Sculptured with 30-60 strong radial ribs. Margin irregular, conforming to shape of substrate. Interior with horseshow-shaped muscle scar, open at front. Shallow siphonal groove from front right end of muscle scar to margin. Colour white internally and externally. Size: Up to 23 mm in length. Distribution: Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, Caloundra, Qld, southwards and around southern Australia to south-western WA, including Tas. Habitat: Lives cryptically on rocky shores around mid-tide level. It lives where light intensity is low but water turbulence is high such as under rocks, deep in crevices or on roofs of caves. It is a sedentary species, feeding by filtering plankton from the water with a mucous net. Fairly common. Synonymy: In New Zealand this species was described as Gadinea nivea Hutton, 1878 but this is now regarded as being the same species as the Australian shell. Remarks: The ecology and feeding method were described by Walsby et al. (1973). Fig. 1: Between Marley Beach and Little Marley Beach, NSW (C.221303) |
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