Grass Cerith
Bittiolum varium
Description 2
The grass cerith, Bittiolum varium, is a small cerithiid gastropod with an elongate, turreted shell consisting of around 10 whorls. The aperture is notably rounded, with a smooth lip and a short, distinct siphonal canal. The intersections of the spiral lines and axial ribs form raised nodules. Color is highly variable, ranging from light to dark brown to gray-white to bluish black to reddish, sometimes with darker flecks or mottling. The soft tissues of the animal itself are often colored similarly to the shell and the sole of the foot is white with opaque spots. The operculum is light brown and translucent (Qurban 2000, STRI undated, BMSM undated).
Distribution 3
Virginian, south side of Cape Cod, and extending northward of the subprovince limit and to Maryland, North Carolina, Florida; Florida: East Florida, West Florida; USA: Louisiana, Texas; Mexico; Mexico: Tamaulipas, Tabasco, Veracruz, Campeche State, Cayo Arcas, Campeche, Yucatan State, Campeche Bank, Alacran Reef, Quintana Roo; Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela; Venezuela: unlocalized; Cuba; Cuba: Havana Province, Matanzas; Virgin Islands: St. Croix; St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Grenada; Brazil; Brazil: Para, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul
Reproduction 4
Bittiolum varium is a dioecius (separate sexes) and fertilization is internal, although males lack a functional penis. Sperm from males may instead be taken into females via inhalent water currents (Webber 1977).The species is oviparous, with females depositing egg masses onto a variety of suitable substrata, including seagrass blades, drift algae, and rock surfaces.
Link to Access Genetic Data 5
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/?term=txid1357312[Organism:noexp]
Sources and Credits
- (c) matbio, all rights reserved
- (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11525691
- (c) WoRMS for SMEBD, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/28469495
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11525696
- (c) Emily Rose Sharkey, all rights reserved
