Cerithideopsis pliculosa

Cerithideopsis pliculosa, common name the plicate horn shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Potamididae.^[1]

Cerithideopsis pliculosa
Four shells of Cerithideopsis pliculosa (museum specimens at Naturalis Biodiversity Center)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Family:	Potamididae
Genus:	Cerithideopsis
Species:	C. pliculosa
Binomial name
Cerithideopsis pliculosa (Menke, 1829)
Synonyms
Cerithidea pliculosa (Menke, 1829) Cerithium mascarenarum Kobelt, 1893 Cerithium natalense Kobelt, 1893 Cerithium pliculosum Menke, 1829 (original combination) Potamides iostomus L. Pfeiffer, 1839

Distribution

The species is found on the Caribbean coast of the US. It is genetically distinct from Cerithideopsis californica of the Pacific coast of the US. The two species became isolated by the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama three million years ago. DNA analysis suggests that there was some crossing of the Isthmus in both directions, and the common shorebirds called willets are suspected as carriers. Willet droppings have been placed in dishes of salt water with the result that some snails hatched out.^[2]

Description

The maximum recorded shell length is 33 mm.^[3]

Habitat

The species has been found in water at recorded depths from 0 to 2 m.^[3]