Javier Couper (Predomalpha), New Zealand
Info
Zethalia zelandica (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1848)
Zethalia zelandica, also known as the wheel snail, is a species of marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, which belongs to the top snails.
These small, flattened, reddish-brown patterned snails are common on beaches in New Zealand, but are less common because it lives below low tide, buried in the sand on exposed seashores, with only the operculum exposed.
Sometimes the snail is found in large numbers on the beach after storms.
Seaweed often anchors itself to the tiny exposed part of the shell.
Unlike other trochids, this species is primarily a filter-feeder, secreting a chain of mucus to which particles attach, drawing them in periodically to feed.
Synonyms:
Globulus anguliferus Philippi, 1852
Rotella zelandica Hombron & Jacquinot, 1848
Umbonium zelandicum A. Adams, 1854
Zethalia zelandica, also known as the wheel snail, is a species of marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, which belongs to the top snails.
These small, flattened, reddish-brown patterned snails are common on beaches in New Zealand, but are less common because it lives below low tide, buried in the sand on exposed seashores, with only the operculum exposed.
Sometimes the snail is found in large numbers on the beach after storms.
Seaweed often anchors itself to the tiny exposed part of the shell.
Unlike other trochids, this species is primarily a filter-feeder, secreting a chain of mucus to which particles attach, drawing them in periodically to feed.
Synonyms:
Globulus anguliferus Philippi, 1852
Rotella zelandica Hombron & Jacquinot, 1848
Umbonium zelandicum A. Adams, 1854
