Amoria undulata, common name wavy volute, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Volutidae, the volutes.
Synonyms Amoria (Amoria) undulata (Lamarck, 1804) Amoria kingi Cox, 1871 Scaphella moslemica Hedley, 1912 Voluta angasii Sowerby II, 1864 Voluta australiae (Cox, 1872) Voluta kingi J. C. Cox, 1871 junior subjective synonym Voluta sclateri Cox, 1869 Voluta undulata Lamarck, 1804 (basionym)
Distribution This marine species is endemic to Australia and occurs off New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia.
Description
The shell exhibits an elongated, fusiform shape and reaches lengths between 60 and 120 mm. It is characterized by a smooth, solid, and roundly shouldered profile, culminating in a long, pointed, conical spire. The suture displays a calloused edge. The aperture is elongated and displays a salmon to orange coloration. The outer lip is smooth and thickened in adult specimens. The base color of the external shell surface is fawn or white-cream, adorned with thin, axial, wavy brown lines. The foot exhibits similar coloration with zigzag lines and stripes.Guide to the systematic distribution of Mollusca in the British museum. Part I.Sea Shells of NSWMuseum Victoria Collections
Habitat These sea snails live intertidally on sand and mud, at depths of 9 to 503 m. They live in deeper waters in their northern range. They emerge only at night to feed.Molluscs of Tasmania
Biology These gastropods are carnivore, mainly feeding on other sea snails. In the spring Amoria undulata migrates from deep water to shallow water sandbanks to breed. It lays egg masses similar to a hollow cylinder, with a diameter of . The embryos hatch as well developed juveniles and crawl away.
Bibliography A. G. Hinton – Guide to Australian Shells Bail P. & Limpus A. (2001) The genus Amoria. In: G.T. Poppe & K. Groh (eds) A conchological iconography. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 50 pp., 93 pls Harald Douté, M. A. Fontana Angioy – Volutes, The Doute collection Wilson, B. (1993). Australian Marine Shells Part 2
References
External links
Encyclopedia of life Discover Life