Nassa serta

Nassa serta, commonly known as the sertum rock shell, is a species of sea snail in the family Muricidae.^[1] It was originally described by Bruguière in 1789 and has undergone several taxonomic revisions.^[2]

Phylum:Mollusca

Class:Gastropoda

Subclass:Caenogastropoda

Order:Neogastropoda

Nassa serta

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Family:	Muricidae
Genus:	Nassa
Species:	N. serta
Binomial name
*Nassa serta* (Bruguière, 1789)
Synonyms^[3]
Buccinum coronatum Gmelin, 1791 Buccinum sertum Bruguière, 1789 Iopas hederacea (Schumacher, 1817) Iopas sertum (Bruguière, 1789) Nassa picta Röding, 1798 Stramonita hederacea Schumacher, 1817

The shell of Nassa serta varies in size from 38 mm to 70 mm.^[4] It is robust and elongated, with pronounced spiral ridges and axial ribs that give it a textured appearance. The coloration typically ranges from light to dark brown, often with contrasting bands or spots.^[5]

Distribution

This species occurs widely across the Indo-Pacific region. It is recorded in the Red Sea, off the coasts of Tanzania, Madagascar and Mauritius, and the Chagos Archipelago, and as far east as Hawaii and Eastern Australia.^[4]^[6] Records from the Pitcairn Islands and French Polynesia confirm its range extends into the remote Pacific.^[7]^[8]

Habitat and Ecology

Nassa serta inhabits shallow subtidal zones, typically at depths of 3 to 12 meters.^[9] It is commonly found under corals, slabs, and stones in reef-associated environments.^[10] Like other muricids, it is a carnivorous or scavenging snail, often feeding on sessile invertebrates or carrion.

Reproduction

References

↑ MolluscaBase eds. (2025). Nassa serta (Bruguière, 1789). In: MolluscaBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 1 April 2025, from https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=215680
↑ Houart, R. (1996). The genus Nassa Röding 1798 in the Indo-West Pacific (Gastropoda: Muricidae: Rapaninae). Archiv für Molluskenkunde, 126(1–2), 51–63.
↑ Nassa serta (Bruguière, 1789). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 31 December 2010.
1 2 SeaLifeBase. (2025). Nassa serta (Bruguière, 1789). SeaLifeBase. Retrieved 2 April 2025, from https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Nassa-serta.html
↑ Poutiers, J. M. (1998). Gastropods. In: Carpenter, K. E. & Niem, V. H. (Eds.), FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific, Vol. 1. FAO, Rome. pp. 363–648.
↑ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Nassa serta (Bruguière, 1789)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
↑ Paulay, G. (1989). Marine invertebrates of the Pitcairn Islands: species composition and biogeography of corals, molluscs, and echinoderms. Atoll Research Bulletin, 326, 1–28.
↑ Tröndlé, J., & Boutet, M. (2009). Inventory of marine molluscs of French Polynesia. Atoll Research Bulletin, 570, 1–90.
↑ Houart, R. (1996). "The genus Nassa Röding 1798 in the Indo-West Pacific (Gastropoda: Muricidae: Rapaninae)". Archiv für Molluskenkunde. 126 (1–2): 51–63.
↑ Claremont, M.; Vermeij, G. J.; Williams, S. T.; Reid, D. G. (2013). "Global phylogeny and new classification of the Rapaninae (Gastropoda: Muricidae), dominant molluscan predators on tropical rocky seashores". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 66: 91–102. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.09.014.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑ Poutiers, J. M. (1998). "In: Carpenter, K. E. & Niem, V. H. (Eds.), The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific, Volume 1". Gastropods. Rome: FAO. pp. 363–648.
↑ Ruppert, E. E., Fox, R. S., & Barnes, R. D. (2004). Invertebrate Zoology: A Functional Evolutionary Approach (7th ed.). Brooks/Cole (Thomson), 990 pp.

Dautzenberg, Ph. (1929). Mollusques testacés marins de Madagascar. Faune des Colonies Francaises, Tome III
Houart R. (1996) The genus Nassa Röding 1798 in the Indo-West Pacific (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia: Muricidae: Rapaninae). Archiv für Molluskenkunde 126(1–2):51–63

Taxon identifiers
Nassa serta	Wikidata: Q6967363 AFD: Nassa_serta BOLD: 276928 CoL: 45R4Q EoL: 4833785 GBIF: 5725841 iNaturalist: 552169 IRMNG: 11127386 NCBI: 508925 OBIS: 215680 Open Tree of Life: 778373 SeaLifeBase: 86986 WoRMS: 215680
Buccinum sertum	Wikidata: Q109586643 CoL: NLLV GBIF: 4363598 WoRMS: 217044

Distribution

Habitat and Ecology

Reproduction

References

External links

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