Simnia spelta
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| Simnia spelta | |
|---|---|
_1.jpg) | |
| a live Simnia spelta on soft coral Leptogorgia sarmentosa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Littorinimorpha |
| Family: | Ovulidae |
| Genus: | Simnia |
| Species: | S. spelta |
| Binomial name | |
| Simnia spelta | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Simnia spelta is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, which are cowrie allies sometimes called "false cowries".[1] It was first described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus.
_-_Ovulidae_-_Mollusc_shell.jpeg)
Simnia spelta grows to a length of about 20 mm (0.8 in). The shell is roughly egg or cigar-shaped with a flattened base. It is strong, thick, smooth and glossy, with inrolled edges at the sides of the long aperture on the underside. The colouring varies according to the species of gorgonian on which it is living.[2] The background colour of the shell is white, yellow, pink or orange, often with white spots or dark spots, marbling or streaks, providing camouflage. As is commonly the case in Simnia species, the colour of all the visible soft parts normally matches the colour of the gorgonian on which the snail is grazing, as the pigment from the gorgonian is retained in the mantle of the mollusk.[2]
Distribution
Simnia spelta was at one time considered to be endemic to the western Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea, but it is now known to occur also in the eastern Atlantic Ocean between the Bay of Biscay, the Canary Islands and Angola. Its normal habitat is living on gorgonians, or sea fans, at depths down to about 10 metres (33 ft).[2]
