Monoplex nicobaricus

Monoplex nicobaricus, known as the Nicobar hairy triton or goldmouth triton, is a species of medium-sized predatory sea snail, a tropical marine gastropod mollusc in the family Cymatiidae.[1]

In Hawaii, a group of three Monoplex nicobaricus (probably a mating pair and another male) have attracted a predatory Conus pennaceus, which is attacking the largest Monoplex

Monoplex nicobaricus
Apertural view
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Cymatiidae
Genus:	Monoplex
Species:	M. nicobaricus
Binomial name
Monoplex nicobaricus (Röding, 1798)
Synonyms[1]
Cymatium nicobaricum (Röding, 1798) Lampusia nicobarica (Röding, 1798) Triton chlorostomum Lamarck, 1822 Triton chlorostomum var. pumilio Mörch, 1877 Triton pulchellus C. B. Adams, 1850 Tritonium adansonii Dunker, R.W., 1853 Tritonium lotorium Link, H.F., 1807 Tritonium nicobarius Röding, 1798 (basionym)

Distribution

This species of marine snail has a wide distribution and lives in the Indo-Pacific and Western Atlantic oceans. Regions where Monoplex nicobaricus is found include Aldabra, Brazil, Canaries, Cape Verde, Chagos, European waters, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Mascarene Basin and West Indies.[1]

Description

The maximum recorded shell length is 90 mm.[2]

Habitat

The minimum recorded depth is at the surface and the maximum recorded depth is 36 m (118 ft).[2]

• 
  Shells of Monoplex nicobaricus

References

1. Monoplex nicobaricus (Roding, 1798). 8 November 2010. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species.
2. Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLOS One 5(1): e8776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.

Further reading

• Abbott R. T. (1974). American Seashells, second edition. Van Nostrand Rheinhold, New York, ISBN 0-442-20228-8.

External links

• "Cymatium (Monoplex) nicobaricum". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
• Image of live individual in Hawaii