Phrontis alba

Phrontis alba, common name the variable dog whelk, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.^[1]

Phrontis alba
Phrontis alba shell
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Family:	Nassariidae
Genus:	Phrontis
Species:	P. alba
Binomial name
Phrontis alba (Say, 1826)
Synonyms[1]
Nassa alba Say, 1826 Nassa annelifera Reeve, 1853 Nassa candei d'Orbigny in Sagra, 1843 Nassa clathratula A. Adams, 1852 Nassa obtusata A. Adams, 1852 Nassa pura Marrat, 1877 Nassa quinquecostata Marrat, 1880 † Nassarius (Uzita) floridensis Olsson, A.A. & A. Harbison, 1953 Nassarius (Uzita) albus (Say, 1826) Uzita alba (Say, 1826)

The variety Nassarius albus var. nanus Nowell-Usticke, 1959 is a synonym of Phrontis karinae Nowell-Usticke, 1971

Description

The length of the shell varies between 6 mm and 13 mm.

Distribution

This species occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, the Lesser Antilles; in the Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina, USA to Brazil.