Engina mendicaria, common name striped engina or bumble bee snail, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pisaniidae.[1]
| Engina mendicaria | |
|---|---|
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| Shell of Engina mendicaria | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Neogastropoda |
| Family: | Pisaniidae |
| Genus: | Engina |
| Species: | E. mendicaria
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| Binomial name | |
| Engina mendicaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Description edit
The shell size varies between 10 mm and 20 mm. This shell shows a white or yellowish background with a few transversal black bands and resembles the yellow and black pattern of wasps and bees (hence a common name).
Distribution edit
This species is distributed in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean along Aldabra, Chagos, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania, in the tropical Indo-Pacific and Australia.
Habitat edit
These carnivore sea snails live on rocky shores and sand beds. They are mainly nocturnal.
References edit
- ^ a b Engina mendicaria (Linnaeus, 1758). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 5 November 2010.
- Dautzenberg, Ph. (1929). Mollusques testaces marins de Madagascar. Faune des Colonies Francaises, Tome III
- Kalk, M. (1958). The fauna of the intertidal rocks at Inhaca Island, Delagoa Bay. Ann. Natal Mus. 14: 189–242
- Richmond, M. (Ed.) (1997). A guide to the seashores of Eastern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean islands. Sida/Department for Research Cooperation, SAREC: Stockholm, Sweden. ISBN 91-630-4594-X. 448 pp.
External links edit
- "Engina mendicaria". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 5 November 2010.