The Nerites which live on the tide line share their habitat with the Periwinkles, which take their family name, Littorinidae, from the Latin word for seashore. It lives on Turtle Grass, from which it may get its unusual colour, and its tiny shell (less than a quarter of an inch) is common on beaches which fringe grassy beds. The bright green Emerald Nerite (Smaragdia viridis) makes up the trio. Their exterior is patterned with black and white stripes, but the aperture is a startlingly rich yellow.
#EPITONIUM TINCTA FULL#
Their cousins, the Zebra Nerites (Puperita pupa), live on rocky shorelines in splash pools above the high-water mark, which are kept full by the spray from waves. They are glossy and brightly coloured in a multitude of exquisite patterns, no two of which is ever the same. Virgin Nerites (Neritina virginea) live on filamentous seaweed in muddy pools. There is also a trio of small Nerites, each of which is astonishingly beautiful. The Tessellate Nerite (Nerita tessellata), at about three-quarters of an inch, is the smallest of the trio of the larger Nerites. The commonest is the Four-toothed Nerite (Nerita versicolor), but the one which is a favourite with everyone is the Bleeding Tooth Nerite (Nerita peloronta), so called because the inner edge of its aperture is toothed and stained blood red. This shell is common on beaches in sizes of up to one inch, but on rare occasions big specimens of up to six inches can turn up.Īnother group of snail-like shells is the Nerites (family Neritidae), which live on rocks at, and above, the high-water mark, where they graze on algae. They usually have a brown pattern, said to resemble a partridge’s wing, but deep water specimens can be a uniform chocolate in colour. In a family of its own (the Tonnidae) the Atlantic Partridge Tun (Tonna maculosa) is a snail with a delicate, inflated shell that feels like a fine wine glass. The larger Colourful Atlantic Natica (Natica carena) is the same shape, but is gaudily patterned in shades of brown and white. Moon Shells (family Naticidae) look like typical snails, and the immaculate white Milk Moon-Shell (Polinices lacteus) is one of the commonest shells in the TCI. And then there are the Turrids (family Turridae): all small and hard to identify to species, these shells can be assigned to the Genus by a notch (called the Turrid Notch) in the outer lip at the top of the aperture. The smaller White-lined Mitre (Pusia albocincta) and Beaded Mitre (Mitra nodulosa) also turn up occasionally. The Mitres (family Mitridae) are represented by the Barbados Mitre (Mitra barbadensis), whose chocolate or orange spire, mottled with white, rarely exceeds one and a quarter inches. They are common on Caicos beaches but rather rare in the Turks Islands. The Shiny Atlantic Auger (Terebra hastata) is the only representative of their family (Terebridae) in the TCI. They are glossy white, with a brilliant yellow line revolving around the spire, but their small size (an inch at most) belies their name. On Caicos beaches you can commonly find Giant Atlantic Pyrams (Pyramidella dolabrata, family Pyramidellidae). They are not common in the TCI, but two species do turn up occasionally: the Bladed Wentletrap (Epitonium albidum), and the smaller Angulate Wentletrap (Epitonium angulatum). Brilliant white, and about an inch long, they get their name from an old German word for a spiral staircase. Wentletraps (family Epitoniidae) are small shells, consisting of a spiral tube linked by vertical blades. It and the tiny Dwarf Cerith (Cerithium lutosum) are what flamingos are straining the water for. On Providenciales you can find tiny Costate Horn Shells (Cerithidea costata) whose brown spire is a coiled tube about an half-inch high, while another Horn Shell, the False Cerith (Batillaria minima), abounds everywhere. Very similar in appearance are the Horn Shells (family Potamidae). The commonest are the Ceriths (family Cerithiidae), which are probably the most abundant shells on the beach, but there are many other types. Many shells in a variety of families are pointed, or spired. However, because I am grouping the shells according to their families, and every family has its odd man out, one or two larger ones will crop up as we go along. In the last article I looked at some of the large and showy gastropods, but in this one I will concentrate on the smaller species.
#EPITONIUM TINCTA SERIES#
This is the second in a series of three articles about the shells of the TCI. Shells of the Turks and Caicos Islands P2
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