Trochia cingulata

Trochia cingulata, common name : the girdled dogwhelk, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.^[1]

Trochia cingulata
Several shells of Trochia cingulata (museum specimens at Naturalis Biodiversity Center)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Family:	Muricidae
Genus:	Trochia
Species:	T. cingulata
Binomial name
Trochia cingulata (Linnaeus, 1771)
Synonyms[1]
Buccinum cingulatum Linnaeus, 1771 (original combination) Buccinum scala Gmelin, 1791 Buccinum trochlea Bruguiere, 1789 Nucella cingulata (Linnaeus, 1771) Purpura cingulata (Linnaeus, 1771) Purpura spiralis Reeve, 1846 Pyrum ergatum Humphrey, G., 1797 Stramonita cingulata (Linnaeus, 1771) Thais cingulata (Linnaeus, 1771)

Description

Trochus cingulatus (often listed now as Trochia cingulata) is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, commonly known as murex snails or rock snails. ^[2]

The shell size varies between 20 mm and 45 mm.

Key Facts

• Appearance: The shell is generally elongated and conical, with distinct ridges and often a brownish or mottled pattern. It can be quite pretty and is sometimes collected for its decorative value.
• Habitat: It’s typically found in shallow, rocky marine environments, often along the coast of southern Africa, especially around Namibia and South Africa.
• Behavior: Like many muricids, it's a predatory snail, feeding on other marine invertebrates, including bivalves.

Distribution

This species occurs in the Atlantic Ocean off Namibia and the West Coast of South Africa.^[1]