Nerita


Nerita is a genus of medium-sized to small sea snails with a gill and an operculum, marine gastropod molluscs in the subfamily Neritinae of the family Neritidae, the nerites.
This is the type genus of the family Neritidae.

Distribution and habitat

Species of Nerita can be found worldwide in tropical waters in the middle and upper intertidal zones. They are gregarious herbivores.

Description

The thick shell is broadly ovate or globular and low-spired. It has a smooth surface. The shells are spirally ribbed or show some axial sculpturing. The ventral side has a large columellar callus or parietal wall. The callus shows small pustules. The aperture and the edge of the columella are usually dentate with fine or robust teeth. The calcareus operculum is thick and can be smooth or with a granular structure. The whorls are covered with strong spiral cords.

Taxonomy

Several subgenera have been proposed over the course of time, but various authors in the past could not agree on the placement of many species. The subgeneric placement of the species of Nerita was revised by Vermeij in 1984. However, inconsistencies still remain over the use and validity of many taxonomic names, because species show a wide variety of colors, patterns and even details of shell morphology, which has given rise to many synonyms.

Species

Species within the genus Nerita include:
The Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database also includes the following species with names in current use Nerita articulata Gould, 1847Nerita bicolor Récluz, 1843Nerita corrosula Récluz, 1842Nerita maxima Gmelin, 1791Nerita nigrita Röding, 1798Nerita panayensis Récluz, 1844Nerita pfeifferiana Récluz, 1843Nerita phasiana Récluz, 1842Nerita radiata Récluz, 1841Nerita sayana Récluz, 1844Nerita tenebrosa Récluz, 1842

Synonyms

Nerita amoena : synonym of Neripteron amoenum Nerita amplisulcata Macsotay & Villarroel, 2001: synonym of Nerita versicolor Gmelin, 1791Nerita angularis Hombron & Jacquinot, 1854: synonym of Nerita planospira Anton, 1838Nerita annulata Reeve, 1855: synonym of Nerita chamaeleon Linnaeus, 1758Nerita anthracina Von dem Busch, 1844: synonym of Nerita ocellata Le Guillou, 1841Nerita arachnoidea Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Natica arachnoidea Nerita arcta Hombron & Jacquinot, 1854: synonym of Nerita insculpta Récluz, 1841Nerita arriaca Röding, 1798: synonym of Nerita polita Linnaeus, 1758Nerita asperulata Récluz, 1843: synonym of Neripteron asperulatum synonym of Neritina asperulata Nerita atrata Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Euchelus atratus Nerita atrata Reeve, 1855: synonym of Nerita melanotragus E.A. Smith, 1884Nerita atropurpurea Récluz, 1841: synonym of Nerita planospira Anton, 1838Nerita australis Wood, 1828: synonym of Nerita erythrostoma Eichhorst & Neville, 2004Nerita avellana Récluz, 1842: synonym of Clithon avellana Nerita bensoni Récluz, 1850: synonym of Puperita bensoni Nerita bifasciata Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Nerita polita Linnaeus, 1758Nerita birmanica Troschel, 1878 : synonym of Nerita balteata Reeve, 1855 Nerita bisecta Reeve, 1855: synonym of Nerita magdalenae Gmelin, 1791Nerita bizonalis Lamarck, 1816: synonym of Nerita chamaeleon Linnaeus, 1758Nerita bizonalis Mörch, 1852: synonym of Nerita planospira Anton, 1838Nerita bruguierei Récluz, 1841: synonym of Neritina pulligera Nerita candida W. Wood, 1825: synonym of Naticarius onca Nerita carbonaria Philippi, 1845: synonym of Nerita morio Nerita chemnitzii Récluz, 1841: synonym of Nerita semirugosa Récluz, 1841Nerita chloroleuca Philippi, 1849: synonym of Nerita chamaeleon Linnaeus, 1758Nerita chrysostoma Récluz, 1841: synonym of Nerita striata Burrow, 1815Nerita comma-notata Reeve, 1855: synonym of Nerita aterrima Gmelin, 1791Nerita costata Brocchi, 1814: synonym of Clathrella clathrata Nerita dacostae Récluz, 1844: synonym of Clithon sowerbianum Nerita debilis Dufo, 1840 : synonym of Mienerita debilis Nerita doreyana Quoy & Gaimard, 1834: synonym of Nerita litterata Gmelin, 1791, synonym of Nerita litterata Gmelin, 1791Nerita dubia Turton, 1932: synonym of Neritina auriculata Lamarck, 1816Nerita flammulata Récluz, 1841: synonym of Nerita undulata Gmelin, 1791Nerita flava Mörch, 1852: synonym of Nerita litterata Gmelin, 1791Nerita flavescens Dillwyn, 1817: synonym of Nerita polita Linnaeus, 1758Nerita forskali Récluz, 1841: synonym of Nerita sanguinolenta Menke, 1829Nerita fulminea Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Natica fulminea Nerita georgina Récluz, 1841: synonym of Nerita insculpta Récluz, 1841Nerita grayana Récluz, 1843: synonym of Nerita undulata Gmelin, 1791Nerita grayana Récluz, 1844: synonym of Nerita essingtoni Récluz, 1842Nerita haneti Récluz, 1841: synonym of Nerita morio Nerita hieroglyphica Dillwyn, 1817: synonym of Nerita litterata Gmelin, 1791Nerita hilleana Dunker, 1871: synonym of Nerita insculpta Récluz, 1841Nerita hindsii Récluz, 1844: synonym of Nerita ''squamulata Le Guillou, 1841Nerita histrio Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of Nerita squamulata Le Guillou, 1841Nerita interrupta Récluz, 1843: synonym of Clithon faba Nerita intricata Donovan, 1804: synonym of Payraudeautia intricata Nerita islandica Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Amauropsis islandica Nerita jovis Récluz, 1843: synonym of Vittina jovis Nerita junghuhni Schepman, 1901: synonym of Nerita olivaria Le Guillou, 1841Nerita laevilirata Sowerby, 1914: synonym of Nerita chamaeleon Linnaeus, 1758Nerita larva Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Nerita litterata Gmelin, 1791Nerita leucozonias Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Natica vitellus Nerita lineata Chemnitz, 1774 - lined nerite: synonym of Nerita balteata Reeve, 1855Nerita listeri Récluz, 1841: synonym of Nerita insculpta Récluz, 1841Nerita litoralis Turton, 1819: synonym of Littorina obtusata Nerita maculata Pease, 1867: synonym of Nerita argus Récluz, 1841Nerita mammilla Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of Polinices mammilla
  • Nerita marinduquenensis Vallejo, 2000: synonym of Nerita patula Récluz, 1841Nerita marmorata Hombron & Jacquinot, 1854: synonym of Nerita chamaeleon Linnaeus, 1758Nerita marochiensis Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Natica marochiensis Nerita mascareignar Récluz, 1850: synonym of Nerita aterrima Gmelin, 1791Nerita mauritiae Récluz, 1841: synonym of Nerita aterrima Gmelin, 1791Nerita melanostoma Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Mammilla melanostoma Nerita menkeana Récluz, 1842: synonym of Clithon olivaceum Nerita modesta Hombron & Jacquinot, 1854: synonym of Nerita chamaeleon Linnaeus, 1758Nerita neritinoides Reeve, 1855: synonym of Nerita morio Nerita nigra Dillwyn, 1817: synonym of Nerita polita Linnaeus, 1758Nerita nodosa Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of Thais nodosa Nerita obscura Hombron & Jacquinot, 1854: synonym of Nerita ocellata Le Guillou, 1841Nerita opaca Röding, 1798: synonym of Nerita polita Linnaeus, 1758Nerita orbignyana Récluz, 1841: synonym of Nerita litterata Gmelin, 1791Nerita orientalis Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Naticarius orientalis Nerita pacifica Récluz, 1850: synonym of Nerita insculpta Récluz, 1841Nerita panayana Récluz, 1843: synonym of Nerita litterata Gmelin, 1791Nerita papilla Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Eunaticina papilla Nerita pennata Born, 1778: synonym of Vittina pennata Nerita petechialis Mörch, 1852: synonym of Nerita signata Lamarck, 1822Nerita pica Gould, 1859: synonym of Nerita japonica Dunker, 1860Nerita picta Humphrey, 1797: synonym of Nerita polita Linnaeus, 1758Nerita piscinalis O. F. Müller, 1774: synonym of Valvata piscinalis Nerita plexa Dillwyn, 1817: synonym of Nerita textilis Gmelin, 1791Nerita punctata Quoy & Gaimard, 1834: synonym of Nerita aterrima Gmelin, 1791Nerita pygmaea Martens, 1889: synonym of Nerita signata Lamarck, 1822Nerita reticulata Karsten, 1789: synonym of Nerita signata Lamarck, 1822Nerita rudis Wood, 1828: synonym of Nerita signata Lamarck, 1822Nerita rufa Montagu, 1808: synonym of Lunatia montagui Nerita rufa Born, 1778: synonym of Natica vitellus Nerita rumphii Récluz, 1841: synonym of Nerita litterata Gmelin, 1791Nerita rustica Nardo, 1847: synonym of Littorina saxatilis Nerita samoensis Dunker, 1869: synonym of Nerita signata Lamarck, 1822Nerita saturata Hutton, 1884: synonym of Nerita melanotragus E.A. Smith, 1884Nerita scabrella Philippi, 1849: synonym of Nerita chamaeleon Linnaeus, 1758Nerita schmeltziana Dunker, 1869: synonym of Nerita argus Récluz, 1841Nerita souleyetana Récluz, 1842: synonym of Clithon souleyetanum Nerita spadicea : synonym of Natica spadicea Nerita spengleriana Recluz, 1844: synonym of Nerita trifasciata Le Guillou, 1841Nerita squamulata Le Guillou, 1841: synonym of Nerita histrio Linnaeus, 1758 Nerita stella Dillwyn, 1817: synonym of Nerita squamulata Le Guillou, 1841Nerita stercusmuscarum Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Natica stercusmuscarum Nerita stricta Baird, 1873: synonym of Nerita insculpta Récluz, 1841Nerita succinea Récluz, 1841: synonym of Neritilia succinea Nerita tomlini Turton, 1933: synonym of Neritina auriculata Lamarck, 1816Nerita tristis Pilsbry, 1901: synonym of Nerita helicinoides var. tristis Pilsbry, 1901Nerita vitellus Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of Natica vitellus Nerita vitiensis Hombron & Jacquinot, 1854: synonym of Nerita litterata Gmelin, 1791Nerita vittata Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Natica vittata''