Needle whelk (Bittium reticulatum)

Distribution data supplied by the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). To interrogate UK data visit the NBN Atlas.Map Help

Summary

Description

An elongate, conical shell, up to 1 cm long, with 10-15 whorls. Strong ribs and spiral ridges interact to form rows of moderately prominent round elevations (tubercles), 4 on lower whorls, 3 on upper whorls. Whorls are a little swollen and sutures are rather deep. Aperture flared or oval and drawn out to form a short basal sinus. Oval operculum present. Shell reddish-brown to light chestnut-brown in colour, tubercles paler.

Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland

Occurs in Britain mainly on southern and western coasts.

Global distribution

Widely distributed from the Lofoten Isles, Norway to the Canaries but absent from the continental shores of the North Sea and the east Channel.

Habitat

On sandy and muddy shores, often with Zostera spp., and on rocks and stones, from the lower shore to depths up to 250 m.

Depth range

-

Identifying features

  • No tubercles present on the lowest spiral ridge of each whorl or on the basal ridges of the last whorl.
  • Aperture small, with notch at base of columella.
  • A prominent ridge across each whorl (varix) typically present.
  • Apex bulbous and twisted.

Additional information

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Listed by

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Further information sources

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Bibliography

  1. Fish, J.D. & Fish, S., 1996. A student's guide to the seashore. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

  2. Graham, A., 1988. Molluscs: prosobranchs and pyramellid gastropods (2nd ed.). Leiden: E.J. Brill/Dr W. Backhuys. [Synopses of the British Fauna No. 2]

  3. Hayward, P., Nelson-Smith, T. & Shields, C. 1996. Collins pocket guide. Sea shore of Britain and northern Europe. London: HarperCollins.

  4. Hayward, P.J. & Ryland, J.S. (ed.) 1995b. Handbook of the marine fauna of North-West Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

  5. Howson, C.M. & Picton, B.E., 1997. The species directory of the marine fauna and flora of the British Isles and surrounding seas. Belfast: Ulster Museum. [Ulster Museum publication, no. 276.]

  6. McMillan, N.F., 1968. British Shells. London: Frederick Warne & Co Ltd.

Datasets

  1. Centre for Environmental Data and Recording, 2018. Ulster Museum Marine Surveys of Northern Ireland Coastal Waters. Occurrence dataset https://www.nmni.com/CEDaR/CEDaR-Centre-for-Environmental-Data-and-Recording.aspx accessed via NBNAtlas.org on 2018-09-25.

  2. Conchological Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 2018. Mollusc (marine) data for Great Britain and Ireland - restricted access. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/4bsawx accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-09-25.

  3. Conchological Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 2023. Mollusc (marine) records for Great Britain and Ireland. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/aurwcz accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-09-27.

  4. Kent Wildlife Trust, 2018. Kent Wildlife Trust Shoresearch Intertidal Survey 2004 onwards. Occurrence dataset: https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/ accessed via NBNAtlas.org on 2018-10-01.

  5. NBN (National Biodiversity Network) Atlas. Available from: https://www.nbnatlas.org.

  6. OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System),  2024. Global map of species distribution using gridded data. Available from: Ocean Biogeographic Information System. www.iobis.org. Accessed: 2024-11-24

Citation

This review can be cited as:

Skewes, M. 2008. Bittium reticulatum Needle whelk. In Tyler-Walters H. and Hiscock K. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Reviews, [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 24-11-2024]. Available from: https://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1644

Last Updated: 03/06/2008