Nassarius, common name nassa mud snails (USA) or dog whelks (UK), is a genus of minute to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Nassariidae.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2010). Nassarius Duméril, 1806. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138235 on 2010-11-30 They are scavengers.
Etymology The name is derived from the Latin word "nassa", meaning a wickerbasket with a narrow neck, for catching fish. Nassarius would then mean "someone who uses such a wickerbasket for catching fish".
Ecology Distribution and habitat Species within this genus are found worldwide. These snails usually live on mud flats or sand flats, intertidally or subtidally.
Life habits Most Nassarius species are very active scavengers, feeding on crabs and carrion as dead fish, etc. They often burrow into marine substrates and then wait with only their siphon protruding, until they smell nearby food.
Shell description The shells of species in this genus have a relatively high cyrtoconoid (approaching a conical shape but with convex sides) spire and a siphonal notch.
(Described as Aciculina) The shell is turreted, polished, smooth or longitudinally plicate. The inner lip shows the callus sharp, straight, defined. The outer lip is produced in the middle, variced externally.Adams, H. & Adams, A. (1853-1858). The genera of Recent Mollusca; arranged according to their organization. London, van Voorst. Vol. 1: xl + 484 pp.; vol. 2: 661 pp.; vol. 3: 138 pls
(Described as Nassa) The eyes are situated on the middle of the tentacles. The lingual teeth are arched and pectinated. The uncini show a basal tooth. The foot is large, expanded and bifurcate at its posterior extremity.
The operculum is ovate, the margin serrated or entire.
The shell is ovate and ventricose. The body whorl is variously sculptured. The aperture is ovate, with a short reflected truncated anterior canal. The inner lip is smooth, often widely spread over with enamel, with a posterior callosity or blunt dentiform plait. The outer lip is dentated, internally crenulated.
Anatomy The animal has a long siphon.
Human use Archeology Several beads made from Nassarius gibbosulus shells are thought to be the earliest known forms of personal adornment, or even jewelry. Two shell beads found in Skhul Cave on the slopes of Mount Carmel, Israel, are thought to be 100,000 years old, whilst another found at Oued Djebbana, Algeria, is believed to be 90,000 years old. A further group of pierced shells, some with red ochre, has been recovered from the Aterian levels at the Taforalt site in Morocco; these Nassarius gibbosulus beads have been securely dated to about 82,000 years ago.
All these examples predate several 75,000-year-old Nassarius kraussianus beads which were found at Blombos Cave, South Africa (including some colored with red ochre). These beads had previously been thought to be the oldest examples of jewelry.Study reveals 'oldest jewellery', BBC News, 22 June 2006
From A.D. 1130 to 1275, shell beads were manufactured by the inhabitants of the Exhausted Cave near the Clear Creek Ruins. A Southern Sinagua site in Verde Valley, Arizona where "shell played a major role in the economic system of this culture."
Modern uses Nassarius vibex is a species which is often selected for marine aquaria. It is often confused with Nassarius obsoletus, a cooler water snail less suited to tropical marine aquarium temperatures. In aquaria, the Nassarius is considered nearly indispensable for keeping sand beds clean and healthy, as these snails tend to burrow and plow through the upper layer in a conch-like fashion, keeping algae and detritus from building up visibly on the surface.
The shells of various species of Nassarius are popular with shell collectors, and are sometimes used in jewelry and other forms of decoration.
Taxonomy The genus Nassarius has traditionally been subdivided into several subgenera, based on differences in shell morphology, especially the sculpture: Aciculina, Alectrion, Allanassa, Nassodonta, Niotha, Plicarcularia, Profundinassa, Pygmaeonassa, Telasco, and Zeuxis. However, this division is difficult to define, resulting in much confusion. Even phylogenetic analysis shows that the division into these subgenera appears to be uncertain and unreliable. There seem to be two groups within the genus Nassarius with the closest relationship between the subgenera Zeuxis and Telasco. Even the species within the subgenus Plicarcularia do not belong to a single clade. In the end, the molecular phylogeny did not match the previous morphological phylogeny.
Gallery
Species In the course of time, more than 1,000 names have been allocated to species in the genus Nassarius, most of which have become synonyms.
The following species are accepted names according to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS):
Nassarius absconditus Gili, 2015 Nassarius abyssicolus (A. Adams, 1852) Nassarius acteon MacNeil, 1960 Nassarius acuminatus (Marrat, 1880) Nassarius acuticostus (Montrouzier in Souverbie & Montrouzier, 1864) Nassarius acutus (Say, 1822) † Nassarius adae (Boettger, 1902) Nassarius adami Arthur & Fernandes, 1989 Nassarius agapetus (Watson, 1882) †Nassarius agatensis (Bellardi, 1882) Nassarius alabasteroides Kool, 2009 Nassarius albescens (Dunker, 1846) Nassarius albinus (Thiele, 1930) Nassarius albomaculatus Rehder, 1980 †Nassarius alfuricus (Fischer in Wanner, 1927) Nassarius algidus (Reeve, 1853) † Nassarius amycliformis (Shuto, 1969) Nassarius angolensis (Odhner, 1923) † Nassarius angulatus (Brocchi, 1814) Nassarius anguliferus (A. Adams, 1852) † Nassarius anomalus (Harmer, 1914) † Nassarius antiquus (Bellardi, 1882) Nassarius aoteanus Finlay, 1926 Nassarius arcadioi Rolán & Hernández, 2005 Nassarius arcularia (Linnaeus, 1758) Nassarius arcus Cernohorsky, 1991 Nassarius arewarensis Nerurkar, Shimpi & Apte, 2020 Nassarius argenteus (Marrat, 1877) † Nassarius asperulus (Brocchi, 1814) Nassarius atlantideus Adam & Knudsen, 1984 † Nassarius attiguus (Bellardi, 1882) Nassarius babylonicus (Watson, 1882) † Nassarius badensis (Hörnes, 1852) Nassarius bailyi (Pilsbry & Lowe, 1932) † Nassarius banaticus (Boettger, 1902) † Nassarius bantamensis Oostingh, 1933 † Nassarius barbarossai Landau, Harzhauser, İslamoğlu & Silva, 2013 Nassarius barsdelli Ladd, 1976 † Nassarius beberkirianus (K. Martin & Icke, 1906) Nassarius bellulus (A. Adams, 1852) Nassarius bellus (Marrat, 1877) Nassarius berniceae Willan & Beechey, 2015 † Nassarius beureumensis Oostingh, 1933 Nassarius bicallosus (E.A. Smith, 1876) Nassarius biendongensis Kool, 2003 Nassarius bifarius W. Baird, 1873 Nassarius bimaculosus (A. Adams, 1852) † Nassarius bolangoi (Ladd, 1976) † Nassarius bonellii (Sismonda, 1847) Nassarius boucheti Kool, 2004 Nassarius bourbonensis Kool, 2015 † Nassarius brebioni Van Dingenen, Ceulemans, Landau & C. M. Silva, 2015 Nassarius brunneostomus (Stearns, 1893) Nassarius bruuni Adam & Knudsen, 1984 Nassarius cadeei Kool, 2006 Nassarius caelatus (A. Adams, 1852) Nassarius caelolineatus Nesbitt & Pitt, 1986 Nassarius callospira (A. Adams, 1852) † Nassarius caloosaensis (Dall, 1890) Nassarius camelus (von Martens, 1897) Nassarius candei (d'Orbigny, 1847) Nassarius candens (Hinds, 1844) † Nassarius cantauranus Landau, 2010 Nassarius capensis (Dunker, 1846) Nassarius capillaris (Watson, 1882) Nassarius castus (Gould, 1835) Nassarius catallus (Dall, 1908)Gastropods.com: Nassarius catallusl; Retrieved 28 February 2011 † Nassarius cautleyi (d'Archiac & Haime) Nassarius celebensis (Schepman, 1907) † Nassarius cerithiformis (Hilber, 1879) Nassarius cernohorskyi Kool, 2005 Nassarius cerritensis (Arnold, 1903) Nassarius chibi (Habe, 1960) † Nassarius chiereghinii (Bellardi, 1882) Nassarius cinctellus (Gould, 1850) Nassarius cinctellus (A. Adams, 1852) (invalid as a junior homonym, but temporarily retained) Nassarius cinnamomeus (A. Adams, 1852) Nassarius circumcinctus (Adams A., 1852) Nassarius clarus (Marrat, 1877) † Nassarius clathratus (Born, 1778) Nassarius collarius (C. B. Adams, 1852) † Nassarius coloratus (Eichwald, 1830) † Nassarius columbinus Van Dingenen, Ceulemans, Landau & C. M. Silva, 2015 † Nassarius companyoi (Fontannes, 1879) Nassarius compertus Fernández-Garcés, Espinosa & Rolán, 1990 Nassarius comptus (Marrat, 1880) Nassarius comptus polita (Marrat, 1880) Nassarius concinnus (Powys, 1835) Nassarius congrua (Yokoyama, 1926) Nassarius conoidalis (Deshayes, 1832) Nassarius consensus (Ravenel, 1861) - striate nassa Nassarius coppingeri (E.A. Smith, 1881) Nassarius coriolis Kool, 2009 Nassarius coronatus (Bruguière, 1789) Nassarius coronulus (A. Adams, 1852) † Nassarius corrugatus (Brocchi, 1814) † Nassarius crassigranosus (Tate, 1888) † Nassarius crassiusculus (Nyst, 1845) † Nassarius crebresulcatus (Bellardi, 1882) Nassarius crebricostatus (Schepman, 1911) Nassarius crematus (Hinds, 1844) Nassarius crenoliratus (A. Adams, 1852) Nassarius crenulatus (Lamarck, 1816) (nomen dubium) † Nassarius daciae (Hoernes & Auinger, 1882) Nassarius dakarensis (Fischer-Piette & Nicklès, 1946) Nassarius dekkeri Kool, 2001 Nassarius delicatus (A. Adams, 1852) Nassarius delosi (Woodring, 1946) † Nassarius demissus (Yokoyama, 1923) † Nassarius denselineatus (Nagao, 1928) Nassarius dentifer (Powys, 1835) Nassarius deshayesianus (Issel, 1866) Nassarius deshayesii (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1848) Nassarius desmoulioides (G.B. Sowerby III, 1903) Nassarius dijki (K. Martin, 1895) Nassarius dilutus (E.A. Smith, 1899) Nassarius dimorphoides Oostingh, 1935 Nassarius disparilis (E.A. Smith, 1903) Nassarius distortus (A. Adams, 1852) † Nassarius doliolum (Eichwald, 1830) Nassarius dorri Wattebled, 1886 Nassarius dorsatus (Röding, 1798) Nassarius dorsuosus (A. Adams, 1852) † Nassarius dujardini (Deshayes, 1844) Nassarius echinatus (A. Adams, 1852) Nassarius ecstilbus (Melvill & Standen, 1896) † Nassarius edlaueri (Beer-Bistrický, 1958) † Nassarius eichwaldi (Friedberg, 1911) † Nassarius elabratus (Doderlein, 1862) Nassarius elegantissimus Shuto, 1969 Nassarius emilyae Moolenbeek & Dekker, 1994Gastropods.com: Nassarius (Nassarius) emilyae emilyae; Retrieved 28 February 2011 † Nassarius eniwetokensis Ladd, 1977 Nassarius enzoi Bozzetti, 2007 † Nassarius erentoezae Landau, Harzhauser, İslamoğlu & Silva, 2013 † Nassarius erunalae Landau, Harzhauser, İslamoğlu & Silva, 2013 Nassarius euglyptus (G. B. Sowerby III, 1914) Nassarius eusulcatus (Sowerby, 1902) Nassarius excellens (Kuroda & Habe, 1961) Nassarius exilis (Powys, 1835) Nassarius eximius (H. Adams, 1872) Nassarius exsarcus (Dall, 1908) † Nassarius exspectatus (Bałuk, 1997) † Nassarius exstincteliratus (Fischer in Wanner, 1927) Nassarius exulatus (E.A. Smith, 1911) † Nassarius falconeri (d'Archiac & Haime, 1854) Nassarius fenistratus (Marratt, 1877) † Nassarius fennemai Oostingh, 1939 Nassarius fenwicki Kilburn, 1972 † Nassarius ficaratiensis (Monterosato, 1891) Nassarius fidus (Reeve, 1853) Nassarius filmerae (G.B. Sowerby III, 1900) Nassarius filosus (Reeve, 1853) Nassarius fissilabris (Adams, A., 1852) Nassarius formosus (Turton, 1932) Nassarius fossae (Preston, 1915) Nassarius fossatus (Gould, 1850) - channeled nassa Nassarius foveolatus (Dunker, 1847) Nassarius fraterculus (Dunker, 1860) - Japanese nassa Nassarius fraudator Cernohorsky, 1980 Nassarius fraudulentus (Marrat, 1877) Nassarius frederici (Melvill & Standen, 1901) Nassarius fretorum (Melvill & Standen, 1899) † Nassarius fritzsteiningeri Harzhauser & Cernohorsky, 2011 † Nassarius fuchsi (Koenen, 1872) Nassarius fufanus (Fischer in Wanner, 1927) Nassarius fuscescens (Dautzenberg, 1912)