Nassarius garuda

Nassarius garuda is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.^[2]

Nassarius garuda
Shell of Nassarius garuda (holotype at MNHN, Paris)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Family:	Nassariidae
Subfamily:	Nassariinae
Genus:	Nassarius
Species:	N. garuda
Binomial name
Nassarius garuda Kool, 2007[1]

Description

The length of the shell attains 20.7 mm.

Nassarius garuda was discovered in 1991 during a French-Indonesian KARUBAR Expedition to East Indonesia by the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. It is native to the Tanimbar Islands. The species was named after the Garuda, a large mythical bird which appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.^[3]

Appearance

The shell of the Nassarius Garuda is bulbous, with an average height of 20.7 mm, and a width of 12.0 mm. The spire at the top makes up one-third of the total shell length. There is little variability between specimens. The shell has a spiral pattern which resembles beads.^[4]