Volutella muricata, common name the Caribbean vase, is a species of medium to large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Vasidae.Morris, A. P. (1973): “A Field Guide to Shells of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the West Indies”. Hougmon Mifflin Co Boston.
Description Volutella muricata has a large, thick and heavy shell that reaches a length of 50 – 100 mm. The shell is quite elongated, conical or vase-shaped (hence the common name). There are blunt spines at the shoulder and near the base. The shell is off- white with black or dark brown periostracum externally, while the aperture is usually white. The columella has 5 strong folds, the first and third being the largest.Abbott, R Tucker (1974). American Seashells. D. Van Nostrand Reinhold. Ltd. New York. 663.
Distribution This species is widespread in the Caribbean Sea. In Venezuela this species has been reported from the state of Falcon,Bitter, Ricardo S. y Martínez E. Rafael. 2001: Inventario de los moluscos marinos en las costas del estado Falcón, Venezuela. Acta Biologica Venezuelica, 21(1):21-41. Nueva EspartaMacsotay, O. 1982: Intervalos batimetabólicos y batimétricos de algunos moluscos bentónicos marinos de Venezuela. BOL. Soc. Ven. Cien. Nat. 37:103-147Princz, D. 1973: Moluscos gastrópodos y pelecipodos del Estado Nueva Esparta, Venezuela. Mem. Soc. Cien. Nat. La Salle, 33:169-222Princz, D y a González de Pacheco. 1981: Los moluscos marinos del Parque Nacional La Restinga, isla de Margarita, Venezuela. Ministerio del ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables. Serie informes cientifico. Zona 14/IC/1-42 and Dependencias Federales.Capelo, J.C. y J. Buitrago. 1998: Distribución d e los moluscos marinos en el oriente de de Venezuela. Mem. Soc. Cien. Nat. La Salle, 150:109-160.
Habitat This species is rather common and is often found in pairs in shallow water. It preys on worms and clams.Warmke, Germaine L. & Abbott, R Tucker. (1961): Caribbean Seashells. Livingston Publishing Company. Narberth. Pennsylvania.
Gallery
References
Rosenberg, G.; Moretzsohn, F.; García, E. F. (2009). Gastropoda (Mollusca) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 579–699 in: Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.
External links
orn, I. Von. (1778). Index rerum naturalium Musei Cæsarei Vindobonensis. Pars I.ma. Testacea. Verzeichniß der natürlichen Seltenheiten des k. k. Naturalien Cabinets zu Wien. Erster Theil. Schalthiere. Perry G. (1810-1811). Arcana: or the Museum of Natural History. pls. 1-48 (= 1810), pls. 49-84 (= 1811), unnumbered text pages. London: James Stratford. Röding, P. F. (1798). Museum Boltenianum sive Catalogus cimeliorum e tribus regnis naturæ quæ olim collegerat Joa. Fried Bolten, M. D. p. d. per XL. annos proto physicus Hamburgensis. Pars secunda continens Conchylia sive Testacea univalvia, bivalvia & multivalvia. Trapp, Hamburg. viii, 199 pp Lamarck,([J.-B. M.) de. (1822). Histoire naturelle des animaux sans vertèbres. Tome septième. Paris: published by the Author, 711 pp WoRMS ITIS Boldsystem Biodiversity Heritage Library EOL NCBI Smithsonian NMNH