Vitta usnea is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Neritidae, the nerites.[1]

Vitta usnea
A live individual
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Neritimorpha
Order: Cycloneritida
Family: Neritidae
Genus: Vitta
Species:
V. usnea
Binomial name
Vitta usnea
(Röding, 1798)
Synonyms
  • Nerita microstoma d'Orbigny, 1842
  • Nerita usnea Röding, 1798 (original combination)
  • Neritina floridana Reeve, 1855
  • Neritina gravis Morelet, 1849 (junior synonym)
  • Neritina jamaicensis C. B. Adams, 1851
  • Neritina lineolata Lamarck, 1816
  • Neritina microstoma (d'Orbigny, 1842) (unaccepted combination)
  • Neritina reclivata (Say, 1822)
  • Neritina reticulata Cristofori & Jan, 1832
  • Neritina rotundata Martens, 1865
  • Neritina sphaera Pilsbry, 1931
  • Neritina usnea (Röding, 1798) (new combination)
  • Theodoxus reclivatus Say, 1822

Distribution

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Vitta usnea, (common name olive nerite) is a euryhaline organism living at salinities ranging from 0 to 19 ppt. It feeds on epiphytic and epibenthic algae. It ranges from north Florida on the Atlantic Coast through the coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to Trinidad (Russell, 1941).

Vitta usnea lives in shallow protected bays from just above high water to approximately 1.5 meters in depth where it is found on sea grasses, emergent marsh plants, rocks, and stumps. It is known to climb up marsh grass blades at high tide to avoid predators. One such predator is the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus.[citation needed]

Life cycle

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The life span is 3–5 years in an aquarium.[2]

Human use

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This species is used as algae-eating snail among freshwater aquarists. In an aquarium, the shell of this species grows 1.3-2.5 cm.[2] This snail prefers an aquarium temperature of 22.2-25.6 °C.[2]

References

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  1. ^ MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Vitta usnea (Röding, 1798). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=865835 on 2021-09-27
  2. ^ a b c "Olive Nerite Snail (Neritina reclivata) - the Free Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Encyclopedia Anyone Can Edit - the Aquarium Wiki". theaquariumwiki.com. Retrieved 9 April 2009.
  • Eichhorst T.E. (2016). Neritidae of the world. Volume 2. Harxheim: Conchbooks. pp. 696–1366
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