Pyrazus ebeninus, commonly known as Hercules club mud whelk, mud whelk, Hercules club whelk, or Hercules whelk, is a species of sea snail. It is a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Batillariidae. It is endemic to Australia, mainly along the east coast,[1][2] inhabiting mud flats.[3]
| Pyrazus ebeninus | |
|---|---|
_-_Potamididae_-_Mollusc_shell.jpeg)
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Family: | Batillariidae |
| Genus: | Pyrazus |
| Species: | P. ebeninus
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| Binomial name | |
| Pyrazus ebeninus (Bruguière, 1792)
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Other names formerly ascribed to the species have been Clava herculea (Martyn, 1784); Cerithium ebeninum (Bruguière, 1792); Pyrazus baudini (Montfort, 1810); Lampania angulifera (Sowerby, 1866); and Pyrazus herculea.[2][4]
The species is most abundant in tropical or subtropical waters off Queensland and New South Wales, but has been found as far south as Tasmania. It had not been detected in the Port River in Adelaide, South Australia, since the last ice age, up to around 10,000 years ago, but in 2023, recent sightings there were confirmed by researcher Brad Martin. Scientists surmise that they were seeded there by ballast water brought in by ships, and growing beds of razorfish (Pinna bicolor) beds and oyster reefs have provided nurseries for the whelk.[5] One sighting was posted on iNaturalist on 28 September 2022.[6]
References edit
- ^ Pyrazus ebeninus (Bruguière, 1792). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 17 May 2010.
- ^ a b "Species: Pyrazus ebeninus (Hercules Club Whelk)". Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ "Pyrazus ebeninus". Seashells of New South Wales. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ "Species Pyrazus ebeninus (Bruguière, 1792)". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Government. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Horn, Caroline (24 July 2023). "Hercules welk discovered in Adelaide's Port River as razorfish beds, oyster reefs grow". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "The Recent Discovery of Hercules Club Mud Whelks (Pyrazus ebeninus) in the Port River System". Marine Life Society of South Australia. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
External links edit