Nerita polita
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| Nerita polita | |
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| Five views of a brown form shell of Nerita polita | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Cycloneritida |
| Family: | Neritidae |
| Genus: | Nerita |
| Species: | N. polita |
| Binomial name | |
| Nerita polita | |
| Synonyms | |
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Nerita polita is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Neritidae,[2] commonly known as polished nerite or kupe'e in Hawaiian.[3] It is a marine snail that has the ability to provide significant resources such as proteins, vitamins, minerals.[4]
Nerita polita has a distinctively smooth and polished shell that is up to 4 cm in size.[5] It has a smooth columella with 2–4 weak teeth on the edge.[5] The shellʻs color is variable: mottled grey, red or cream, sometimes with thin or thick axial bands[6] or a chevron pattern with white and gray spirals.[6][5] The operculum is smooth, and is cream to black in color.[5] The inside of the shell is mostly white, with a tint of yellow, and no teeth.[3]
Nerita polita is exposed to fresh sewage and heavy metals due to the industrialization and urbanization.[3]
Distribution and habitat
Nerita polita is found in the tropical Indo-Pacific.[5] It is mostly found in the intertidal, burring into the sand at the base of basalt formations and limestone near the shore.[3] It can also be found on fine sandy shores and the littoral fringe of rocky shores.[5] They tend to come out when the tide is low to reproduce and feed.[3] When the tide begins to rise they head towards their resting spots.[3]
Distribution of Nerita polita include: