Nassarius whiteheadae
| Nassarius whiteheadae | |
|---|---|
| Type specimen collected from Dingo Beach, Queensland | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Buccinoidea |
| Family: | Nassariidae |
| Subfamily: | Nassariinae |
| Genus: | Nassarius |
| Species: | N. whiteheadae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Nassarius whiteheadae Cernohorsky, 1984
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Nassarius whiteheadae is a species of dog whelks, a marine mollusc, in the family Nassariidae.[1] Named after Thora Whitehead, the species is endemic to Australia, known from intertidal waters of Northern Queensland.
Description
Nassarius whiteheadae has a shell up to 13 mm (0.51 in) in length. The shells are elongate-ovate with occasionally produced spires, and a teleoconch of between 4–5.25 weakly convex whorls, and a protoconch with embryonic whorls numbering 2.25 to 2.5. It can be differentiated from N. fraudator due to being smaller, having more slender and offset spire whorls, and due to its unusual paucispiral protoconch.[2]
Taxonomy
The species was first described in 1984 by Walter Oliver Cernohorsky, who used the name Nassarius (Zeuxis) whiteheadae, placing the species in a subgenus named Zeuxis, which is no longer accepted.[2][1] The holotype was collected from Sinclair Bay near Edgecumbe Bay in North Queensland, Australia, and is held by the Australian Museum.[2] N. whiteheadae was named after Australian malacologist Thora Whitehead.[2][3] Paratypes of the species are held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.[4]
Distribution and habitat
The species is endemic to Australia, known to occur in North Queensland in intertidal waters.[2][5]
References
- ^ a b c Nassarius whiteheadae Cernohorsky, 1984. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 23 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Cernohorsky, W. O. (1984). "Systematics of the family Nassariidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda)". Bulletin of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 14: 151. ISSN 0067-0456. LCCN 86101164. OCLC 16358067. Wikidata Q115120219.
- ^ "Thora P. Whitehead | Shellers From the Past and Present". www.conchology.be. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ Blom, Wilma M. (2025). "Annotated Catalogue of Fossil and Extant Molluscan Types in the Auckland War Memorial Museum". Bulletin of the Auckland Museum. 22. doi:10.32912/BULLETIN/22. ISSN 1176-3213. OCLC 1550165130. Wikidata Q135397912.
- ^ "Species Nassarius (Zeuxis) whiteheadae Cernohorsky, 1984". Australian Faunal Directory. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
Further reading
- Wilson, B. (1994). Australian marine shells. Prosobranch gastropods. Volume 2. Kallaroo: Odyssey Publishing.
External links
- Nassarius (Zeuxis) whiteheadae at conchology.be