Nadelschnecke Giant Knobbed Cerith

Cerithium nodulosum Bruguière, 1792

Cerithium Le Cérite Adanson, 1757:155, pl. 10: fig.2 [non-binomial, is Cerithium erythraeonense Lamarck, 1822, fide Fischer-Piette, 1942:250, pl. 8: fig. 16a,b].—Deshayes, 1843:311–312.

Murex aluco Born, 1780:321–322 [in part; not Murex aluco Linné, 1758].

Cerithium nodulosum Braguière, 1792:478, pl. 442: fig. 3 [lectotype, herein selected: MHNG 1907/13; type locality: “mer Rouge; l'Ocean Asiatique; Îsle d'Amboine,” herein restricted to Ambon bland, Indonesia; 103 mm × 41 mm; not Cerithium nodulosum Philippi, 1836, nor Hall, 184S, nor Moore, 1867].—Quoy and Gaimard, 1834:112–113, pl. 54: figs. 5. 6.—Kiener, 1841:4–5, pl. 3: fig. 4.—Deshayes, 1843:287,—Sowerby, 1855:854, pl. 78: fig. 42; 1865, pl. 1: fig. 3.—Kobelt, 1880:76–77, pl. 15: fig. 1.—Tryon, 1887:122, pl. 19: figs. 13.14; pl. 20: fig. 15.

Cerithium adansonii Braguière, 1792:479 [Le Cérite Adanson, 1757, cited in synonymy; holotype: MNHNP, no number, type locality: 55.5 mm].

Cerithium curvirostra Perry, 1811, pl. 35: fig. 2 [type not located. Perry's figure selected to represent lectotype; type locality: “Eastern Seas and Persian Gulf”].

Murex tuberosas Dillwyn, 1817:749–750 [type not located; type locality: Amboina; in part].

Murex nodulosus Wood, 1818:131,no. 147; 1825:131,no. 147, pl. 27: fig. 147.

Cerithium erythraeonense Lamarck, 1822:70 [holotype: MHNG 1097/19; type locality: Red Sea, 60 mm].—Tryon, 1887:123, pl. 20: fig. 16.—Kobelt, 1890:77–78. pl. 15: figs. 2, 3.—Vignal, 1923:18.—Jousseaume, 1930:273.—Lamy, 1938:64.—Fischer-Piette, 1942:250–253, pl. 8: fig. 16a,b.—Sharabati, 1984, pl. 4: fig.a 12.

Cerithium tuberosum Sowerby, 1855:855, pl. 178: fig. 49 [not Cerithium tuberosum Grateloup, 1847].—Sowerby, 1865, pl. 1: fig. 5.

Cerithium omissum Bayle, 1880:250 [new name for Cerithium tuberosum Sowerby, 1855, not Cerithium tuberosum Grateloup, 1847].

Matilda eurytima Melvill and Standen, 1896:310–311, pl. 11: fig. 73.— Tomlin, 1936:150 [Paralectotype: NMW 1955.158.207, 6.6 mm; syntype: MM].—Trew, 1987:40.

Contumax decollata Hedley, 1899:437–438, fig. 25 [lectotype, herein selected: AMS C5949, 17.4 mm].—Viader, 1951:147, pl. 4: fig. 15.

Contumax nodulosus Braguière.—Cotton, 1952:1.

Cerithium (Contumax) nodulosum Braguière.—Kaicher, 1956, pl. 3: fig. 6.

Cerithium nodulosum erythraeonense Lamarck.—Bosch and Bosch, 1982:49.

Cerithium (Cerithium) nodulosum (Braguière) [sic].—Springsteen and Leobrera, 1986:59, pl. 13: fig. 2.

DESCRIPTION.—Shell (Figures 89A–C,E,F,H–J; 90): Shell very large, solid, elongate, angular, comprising 15–18 angulate whorls, and reaching 114 mm length and 50 mm width. Shell sculpture varying with ontogenetic shell stage: (1) protoconch (Figure 89I) comprising 2 whorls with well-developed sinusigeral sinus; protoconch 1 smooth; protoconch 2 sculptured with fine spiral striae, pustules, and thin subsutural axial plicae; (2) juvenile shells (Figure 89B,E) with inflated whorls and fine cancellate sculpture formed by 4 or 5 fine spiral cords crossed by numerous axial riblets; (3) subadults (Figure 89H) with cancellate sculpture on early whorls; second spiral cord gradually enlarging, with nodulose carina developing large nodes on later whorls. Broad subsutural ramp on later whorls; (4) adult shells (Figure 89A,C,F,J) usually lacking early sculpture due to erosion. Teleoconch whorls with 7–14 prominent, pointed nodes forming strong, angulate keel. Smooth, narrow spiral cords (about 10 on penultimate whorl) crossing numerous axial riblets, creating weak cancellate appearance; spiral sculpture dominating. Well-defined, nodulose, subsutural, spiral cord defining distinct, wavy suture. Body whorl very large, with strong siphonal constriction, and strongly excavated base sculptured with 5 spiral, nodulose cords crossed by wavy axial ribs. Aperture large, about one-third shell length and with well-developed, narrow, anterior siphonal canal slightly reflexed to left of shell axis. Anal canal flanked by strong parietal columellar plait extending well within aperture. Outer lip thick, flaring, strongly crenulate, forming short, distinct posterior spout at anal canal and having claw-like anterior extension crossing over anterior siphonal canal; interior of outer lip with deep spiral grooves. Columella white, strongly concave, and with narrow, thick callus and well-defined lip. Shell color white with fine brown-gray spiral lines or spots, and irregularly shaped, brown-gray blotches. Aperture white. Measurements (Table 30). Periostracum thin and tan. Operculum (Figure 89D,G) thick, corneous, dark brown, ovate, paucispiral, and with eccentric nucleus.

Radula (Figures 91A–C; 92): Type-1 radular ribbon (Figure 3A) robust, short, about one-tenth shell length, and with about 8 or 9 rows of teeth per mm. Rachidian tooth (Figures 91B,C; 95B) having square basal plate with short central posterior projection flanked by small ridge on each side; anterior edge straight to convex; cutting edge comprising large, spade-shaped, central cusp flanked on each side by 1 or 2 small, blunt denticles. Lateral tooth (Figures 91 A,B; 95B) rhomboidal, with long lateral extension and strong, central-lateral, posterior projection on basal plate; cutting edge with very long, triangular, central cusp flanked on inner side with two small cusps and on outer side by 2 or 3 small cusps. Marginal teeth (Figures 91B,C; 95B) spatulate with rounded, curved, spoon-like, tips. Inner marginal tooth with 3 or 4 small, inner denticles and 1 or 2 small, outer denticles; outer marginal tooth same, but with no outer denticles (Figure 91C).

Anatomy (Figures 92–94): Animal large, with 5 or 6 whorls comprising digestive gland and gonad, stomach, kidney, mantle cavity and head-foot, respectively. Head-foot dusky grayish yellow overlain with black blotches and tiny white dots. Muscular foot with warty, crescent-shaped propodium, and with broad, whitish sole. Deep propodial mucus gland at leading edge of sole. Right side of foot with ciliated groove emerging from exhalant siphon and terminating in pad-like, glandular ovipositor near edge of sole in females. Metapodium with large, black operculum. Head large, muscular, having massive, broad, shovel-shaped snout with bilobed tip. Pair of long cephalic tentacles each with large black, yellow-ringed eye on wide peduncular base. Mantle edge thick, comprising double row of long, dark papillae (Figure 92A). Mantle edge thick and elongate at orange pigmented inhalant siphon and at exhalant siphon.

Yellow osphradium a long, tall, narrow, bipectinate ridge comprising oval filaments (Figure 92B,C), lying closely adjacent to ctenidium (Figure 92B). Osphradium extending full length of ctenidium but deviating from it anteriorly at inhalant siphon. White, well-developed ctenidium nearly the length of the mantle cavity, relatively narrow and composed of large, elongate, triangular filaments (Figure 92B), each with supporting rod along leading edge. Thick hypobranchial gland adjacent to and about three times as wide as ctenidium, and folded transversely to form shallow, thick ridges secreting great amounts of mucus. Large, wide, convoluted rectum highly ciliated externally, with anus just behind mantle edge. Interior of rectum filled with transversely stacked oval fecal pellets. Palliai gonoducts open, slit tubes comprising lateral (attached) and medial (free) laminae connected to mantle floor along their dorsal margins. Female palliai oviduct (Figure 93) thick; male duct thinner, less glandular.

Large buccal mass within broad snout with robust radular ribbon about one-tenth shell length. Pair of large, semicircular jaws with outer covering of microscopic, scale-like plates lying at mouth opening. Pair of small salivary glands comprising thin, loosely coiled tubes running through nerve ring, and emptying in anterior dorsal surface of buccal cavity. Mid-esophagus very wide with interior walls folded into many thin, glandular lamellae comprising esophageal gland (Figure 91D). Stomach large, massive, comprising 1.5–2 whorls, and typically cerithioid in layout with large, posterior, ciliated sorting area, single opening to the digestive gland, large, unciliated, raised central pad, cuticularized gastric shield, and short style sac with thick, short, crystalline style.

Aphallate males with bright orange testes producing typical (eupyrene) and atypical (apyrene) sperm. Apyrene sperm with six flagellae. Vas deferens a thin tube on inner side of visceral coils, packed with both kinds of sperm in ripe males. Male palliai gonoduct an open tube of two thin laminae with thicker glandular posterior part comprising spermatophore organ. Females with cream-yellow ovary. Coelomic oviduct (Figure 93, od) a wide tube on inner surface of visceral whorls discharging into posterior palliai oviductal groove (Figure 93, odg). Type-A palliai oviduct (Figure 4A). Non-glandular part of medial lamina (Figure 93, ml) with short sperm gutter (Figure 93, sg) along anterior edge, opening into long ciliated tube and enlarging to form large spermatophore bursa (Figure 93, sb) in posterior of medial lamina. Interior epithelial lining of mid-posterior spermatophore bursa (Figure 94C,D, sb) highly folded and heavily ciliated, but folds absent in posterior bursa (Figure 94E,H, sb). Posterior seminal receptacle (Figure 93, psr) on inner side of posterior part of non-glandular medial lamina (Figure 93, ml), adjacent to spermatophore bursa. Posterior seminal (Figure 93, psr; Figure 94E,F, sr) receptacle small, bright orange, spherical, opening by tiny duct (Figure 94E,F, sr) to lumen of oviductal groove (Figure 94F, odg). In section, posterior seminal receptacle (Figure 94E,F, sr) folded, forming many small pouches lined with epithelial tissue (Figure 94F. sr). Within posterior seminal receptacle, heads of oriented eupyrene sperm embedded in epithelium (Figure 94D). Thick, white, glandular, posterior part of oviduct comprises albumen gland (Figure 93, ag; Figure 94C, ag); middle of oviduct yellow, and anterior white, both probably comprising capsule gland. Long tubular anterior seminal receptacle (Figure 93, asr; Figure 94C,D,G, sr) about 16 mm long and 3 mm wide, with opening (Figure 93, oasr; Figure 94B, oasr) in anterior non-glandular lateral lamina (Figure 93,11), opposite sperm gutter (Figure 93, sg) of medial lamina. Opening of anterior seminal receptacle (Figure 93, osr) in lateral lamina adjacent to opening of spermatophore bursa (Figure 93, osb) in medial lamina Anterior seminal receptacle filled with oriented sperm with heads embedded in inner epithelial lining (Figure 94G) of lateral lamina.

Spawn mass comprising large, crescent-shaped cluster of many coiled jelly strings and thick, ribbon-like, axial base attaching to substrate. Jelly strings filled with eggs, 4 or 5 eggs deep. Individual eggs enclosed in hyaline capsule of 0.28 μm diameter. Planktotrophic veliger larvae with well-defined velum and compound cilia, hatching 3 or 4 days after deposition of egg mass. Embryonic shells light brown and slightly pitted (see Houbrick, 1971, for more complete description and figures of spawn and larvae).

SYNONYMIC

Cerithium nodulosum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cerithiidae.