Margarites helicinus Spiral Margarite, Smooth Margarite, Pearly Topsnail, Pearly Top Shell, Helicina Margarite

Margarites helicinus is commonly referred to as Spiral Margarite, Smooth Margarite, Pearly Topsnail, Pearly Top Shell, Helicina Margarite. Difficulty in the aquarium: Cold water animal. Toxicity: Toxic hazard unknown.

Raphaël Forns, Kanada

Margarites helicinus,Cape Parry, NT, Canada 2024 (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Courtesy of the author Raphaël Forns, Kanada Raphaël Forns (CC BY-NC 4.0). Please visit www.inaturalist.org for more information.

Uploaded by Muelly.

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lexID:: 18470
AphiaID:: 141821

Scientific:: Margarites helicinus
German:: Glattes Kreiselchen
English:: Spiral Margarite, Smooth Margarite, Pearly Topsnail, Pearly Top Shell, Helicina Margarite

Category:: Snäckor med skal

Family tree:: Animalia (Kingdom) > Mollusca (Phylum) > Gastropoda (Class) > Trochida (Order) > Margaritesidae (Family) > Margarites (Genus) > helicinus (Species)
Initial determination:: (Phipps, ), 1774

Occurrence:: the North Sea, Belgium, Bering Sea, Canada Western Atlantic, European Coasts, France, Gulf of Maine, Ireland, North Atlantic Ocean, Norway, Skagerrak (North Sea), the British Isles, the Sea of Okhotsk, USA
Sea depth:: 0 - 350 Meter
Habitats:: Estuaries (river mouths), Intertidal zone, Tidal Zone, Seawater, Sea water
Size:: 0" - 0.39" (0,3cm - 1,1cm)
Temperature:: °F - 68 °F (°C - 20°C)
Food:: Algae (Algivore), algae grazer, epiphytes feeder, Deposit feeder
Difficulty:: Cold water animal
Offspring:: None
Toxicity:: Toxic hazard unknown

CITES:

Not evaluated

Red List:

Not evaluated (NE)

Related species at Catalog of Life:

Margarites albolineatus
Margarites angulatus
Margarites argentatus
Margarites avachensis
Margarites avenosooki
Margarites biconica
Margarites bisikovi
Margarites cabernet
Margarites calliostomoides
Margarites costalis
Margarites dnopherus
Margarites ecarinatus
Margarites giganteus
Margarites glabrus
Margarites groenlandicus
Grönländ Margarite
Margarites helicinus
Glattes Kreiselchen
Margarites hickmanae
Margarites huloti
Margarites inflatulus
Margarites keepi
Margarites kophameli
Margarites koreanicus
Margarites laminarum
Margarites luciae
Margarites miona
Margarites mirabilis
Margarites olivaceus
Margarites picturatus
Margarites pilsbryi
Margarites pribiloffensis
Margarites pupillus
Kleine Margerite
Margarites rossicus
Margarites ryukyuensis
Margarites salmoneus
Margarites schantaricus
Margarites scintillans
Margarites shinkai
Margarites simbla
Margarites smithi
Margarites sordidus
Margarites striatus
Margarites toroides
Margarites vahlii
Margarites vityazi
Margarites vorticiferus

Author:: Meerwasser-Lexikon Team
Publisher:: Meerwasser-Lexikon.de
Created:: 2026-07-11 13:25:04
Last edit:: 2026-07-11 13:36:14

Info

Margarites helicinus (Phipps, 1774)

Synonymised names
Eumargarita helicina (Phipps, 1774) · unaccepted > superseded combination
Helix margarita Montagu, 1808 · unaccepted (synonym)
Margarita arctica Leach, 1819 · unaccepted
Margarita arctica var. major Middendorff, 1848 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Margarita campanulata A. S. Packard, 1867 · unaccepted
Margarita communis W. Thompson, 1844 · unaccepted (a junior synonym)
Margarita helicina (Phipps, 1774) · unaccepted (invalid: genus name a junior homonym)
Margarita helicina var. major Middendorff, 1848 · unaccepted (a junior synonym)
Margarita obliqua G. B. Sowerby III, 1913 · unaccepted (a junior synonym)
Margarita vulgaris G. B. Sowerby I, 1838 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Margarites (Margarites) helicina (Phipps, 1774) · unaccepted (wrong gender agreement of the...)
Margarites (Margarites) helicina helicina (Phipps, 1774) · unaccepted (wrong gender agreement of the...)
Margarites (Margarites) helicinus (Phipps, 1774) · alternative representation
Margarites beringensis (E. A. Smith, 1899) · unaccepted
Margarites diaphana Leach, 1847 · unaccepted (unnecessary substitute name for...)
Margarites helicina (Phipps, 1774) · unaccepted > incorrect grammatical agreement of specific epithet
Margarites helicinus var. elevatus Dall, 1919 · unaccepted (a junior synonym)
Margarites helicinus var. excavatus Dall, 1919 · unaccepted (a junior synonym)
Phorcus margarita (Montagu, 1808) · unaccepted (a junior synonym)
Trochus arcticus (Leach, 1819) · unaccepted (a junior synonym)
Trochus borealis R. A. Philippi, 1855 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Trochus helicinus (Phipps, 1774) · unaccepted
Trochus helicinus var. fasciata Jeffreys, 1865 · unaccepted (synonym)
Trochus neritoides Gmelin, 1791 · unaccepted (a junior synonym)
Turbo helicinus Phipps, 1774 · unaccepted (original combination)
Turbo inflatus Totten, 1834 · unaccepted (a junior synonym)
Turbo margarita (Montagu, 1808) · unaccepted (a junior synonym)
Valvatella beringensis E. A. Smith, 1899 · unaccepted

Direct children (2)
Variety Margarites helicinus var. elevatus Dall, 1919 accepted as Margarites helicinus (Phipps, 1774) (a junior synonym)
Variety Margarites helicinus var. excavatus Dall, 1919 accepted as Margarites helicinus (Phipps, 1774) (a junior synonym)

External links

researchgate (en). Abgerufen am 11.07.2026.
sealifebase (en). Abgerufen am 11.07.2026.
Wikipedia (en). Abgerufen am 11.07.2026.

Pictures

Commonly

Margarites helicinus,Cape Parry, NT, Canada 2024 (CC BY-NC 4.0)

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