3 Gastropods from Portugal

[mikede]

I've got these 3 beached specimens from portugiese coast near Lisbon. I could only identify them to the family level (and I'm not sure even this identification is right).
1) Naticidae sp.(ca 5mm)
<img src="http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/5936/naticidaemj8.jpg" alt="http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/5936/naticidaemj8.jpg" style="border:0" />
2) Muricidae sp. (ca 8mm)
<img src="http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/1173/muricidaedi4.jpg" alt="http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/1173/muricidaedi4.jpg" style="border:0" />
3) Turridae sp.? (ca 10mm)
<img src="http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/2183/turridaewo6.jpg" alt="http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/2183/turridaewo6.jpg" style="border:0" />

Thanks,
Mike  <span class="petit">--Last edited by mikede on 2008-01-24 14:39:15 --</span>

[ale.v]

Hello.
Number 2 is a coralliophila. Maybe a coralliophila  lamellosa (Bivona And., 1838), but the exact identification it's difficult because of the poor condition of the shell.

[mikede]

Thanks! Any guesses about the other 2 shells?

[ale.v]

Naticidae has a really strange colour. May you post a picture of the other side (with the aperture, columella, umbiliculus etc.)?

About the turris I can't help you. Mediterrean Turridae are almost impossible for me!

[mikede]

Thanks for your help ale.v!

I finally managed to take some pictures of the small Naticidae and of some other European shells missing a "sure" identification (for later posting, don't want to bother you and others with too many shells <img src="images/smiley/smile.gif" alt="" border="0" /> ). It was sometimes really hard, had to hold the shells in my fingers to have them stay in the right position <img src="images/smiley/smile.gif" alt="" border="0" />.

So here come two more pictures of the strange Naticidae

<img src="http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/3416/img06841pm8.jpg" alt="http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/3416/img06841pm8.jpg" style="border:0" />
<img src="http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/4739/img0687iw2.jpg" alt="http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/4739/img0687iw2.jpg" style="border:0" />  <span class="petit">--Last edited by mikede on 2008-02-07 17:53:44 --</span>

[dave r]

Nothing really like it I can see. The nearest I can get is Lunatica guillemini ( Payraudeau, 1826) , but this is usually dark brown not black. Has it been stained by mud? The only other thing I can think of is perhaps it is a West African species that has strayed far North,or an accidental import from elsewhere.
Incidentally, if you want to hold something steady to photograph it use Blu-tack or something similar, it works really well.
Dave

[mikede]

It would be possible that the shell got stained by mud, but I don't know how I could test/prove it. The other shells I found on the same spot were all clean.

Mike

[mikede]

Just in case someone is interested: I think I found out the species of the turridae shell. This could be a Crassopleura maravignae, here a pic of this species <a href="http://elrinconmarinosgasteropodos2.iespana.es/Fotos%20coleccion/Turridae/Crassopleura%20maravignae.jpg" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://elrinconmarinosgasteropodos2.iespana.es/Fotos%20coleccion/Turridae/Crassopleura%20maravignae.jpg">http://elrinconmarinosgasteropodos2.ies ... vignae.jpg</a><!-- m --></a>

[ale.v]

As Dave r told you, the naticidae should be a Euspira guillemini (Payraudeau 1826) with an uncommon black colour (my books report the Euspira genus).

About the turridae I found strange the white-brown colouration. Look at this page (in italian) for a good review of the mediterrean turridae:

<a href="http://www.naturamediterraneo.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12736" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.naturamediterraneo.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12736">http://www.naturamediterraneo.com/forum ... C_ID=12736</a><!-- m --></a>

ale.v

[mikede]

Yes this turridae page was not unknown to me. It's really a nice turridae compilation, pity I don't have much turridae species.

On another page I found a pic of a worn specimen of Crassopleura maravignae and it looked pretty much alike as my shell. I gave a link to the picture in my previous post, but somehow the link won't work.

Mike