True Tulip Snail
Fasciolaria tulipa
Description 5
The true tulip snail, Fasciolaria tulipa, is a large subtidal gastropod. It belongs to the family Fasciolariidae, which is characterized by: large, elongate, spindle-shaped shells with elevated spires, or points; columellar folds in the shell on the left side of the aperture; long, well-developed siphonal canals at the base of the shell; and thick, horny opercula (Leal 2002).The true tulip is a dextral snail, meaning that the aperture (opening) of the shell is located on the right side when viewing the organism from underneath with the spire pointed upward. Approximately 9 convex whorls make up the whole of the shell, which is smooth except for fine growth lines (e.g. Leal 2002). The background color of the shell varies among individuals from cream to brown to reddish orange, often overlaid with irregular blotches. Numerous interrupted black spiral lines appear across the shell surface, ranging from 25 to 39 in adult snails (Wells 1969). The lines extend onto the lip of the shell, giving it a notched appearance. In living snails, the body is bright orange to red, including the muscular foot that extends out of the shell when the snail is active. The thick operculum is attached to the end of the foot, is brown to black in color, and bears visible concentric growth rings (e.g. Wells 1969).
Distribution 6
The range of F. tulipa extends on the Atlantic coast of the United States from North Carolina to Florida, throughout the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas, and south through the Caribbean to Brazil (Kaplan 1988; Abbott & Morris 1995; Leal 2002). Most populations are found subtidally in warm, shallow estuarine or coastal marine environments such as seagrass beds, sand flats and coral reefs (e.g. Humfrey 1975; Andrews 1994). They are active in shallow water during high tide and often burrow under the sediments when exposed during low tide.
Look alikes 7
The true tulip is often confused with its close relative, the banded tulip, Fasciolaria hunteria. The ranges and preferred habitats of these two species can overlap, and juveniles may be difficult to distinguish from one another. As they grow larger, the identifying characteristics of each species become more evident. Unlike the true tulip, the shell color of the banded tulip is usually grayish and is overlaid with 4-8 distinct and unbroken black spiral lines (e.g. Wells 1969). Also distinguishing it from F. tulipa is the color of the foot, which is black with white spots; and the smaller size of the shell in fully grown adults, which only reaches about 8 to 10 cm (Kaplan 1988; Ruppert & Fox 1988).
Reproduction 8
Aside from the probable smaller shell size when compared to females, male F. tulipa can be identified by the presence of a penis located on the right side of the body directly behind the head (Wells 1969). As with other snails of its family, the tulip snail reproduces sexually via copulation. During mating, the female remains in the usual upright position on the sand while the male flips over, aligning the apertures of both shells before inserting the penis into the female. Once joined, snail pairs have been known to remain attached for up to 2 hours, usually undisturbed by tidal cycles or during relocation to laboratory aquaria (Wells 1969). Mating may occur several times in one season, and some individuals have been observed to mate up to 3 times in a single week. In warm waters, F. tulipa reproduces year-round. Studies on snails in Campeche Bay, Mexico have found that spawning peaks from October to December (Aranda et al. 2003).
Link to Access Genomic Data 9
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=167136&lvl=0
Sources and Credits
- (c) Femorale, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.femorale.com/shellphotos/photos63/127344.jpg
- (c) Femorale, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.femorale.com/shellphotos/photos64/129569.jpg
- (c) Femorale, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.femorale.com/shellphotos/photos63/126068.jpg
- (c) Femorale, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.femorale.com/shellphotos/photos4/8752.jpg
- 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/11526130
- 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/11526131
- (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526133
- 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/11526135
- (c) Emily Rose Sharkey, all rights reserved
