Mitra mitra

Mitra mitra, common name the episcopal miter, is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Mitridae, the miters.[1]

Mitra mitra
A Mitra mitra shell
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
Superfamily:
Muricoidea
Family:
Mitridae
Genus:
Mitra
Subgenus:
Mitra
Species:
M. mitra
Binomial name
Mitra mitra
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[1]
  • Mitra carmelita (Röding, 1798)
  • Mitra episcopalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Mitra episcopalis (G. Perry, 1811)

Distribution

Widespread in the Indo-Pacific, from East Africa, including Madagascar and the Red Sea, to eastern Polynesia. North to southern Japan, Wake Island and Hawaii, and south to Australia.[2]

Habitat

This species lives in intertidal and sublittoral zones, to a depth of around 80 m.[2]

Feeding

Mitra mitra is known to be carnivorous, an active predator that feeds on smaller gastropods and bivalves.

Shell description

The maximum shell length for this species is 18 cm, usually to 14 cm.[2] Like in all Mitridae, the shell is elongate, somewhat fusiform, with a high spire. The aperture is elongate and narrow, and the outer lip is smooth and not lirate (grooved). Unlike other species of the genus Mitra, the spire is not strongly shouldered. The surface of the shell is smooth, with a few weak, spiral grooves towards the anterior end. The colour is white, with spiral rows of large irregular orange or red spots.

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References
  1. Rosenberg, G. (2010). Mitra (Mitra) mitra (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=208226 on 2010-12-12
  2. Poutiers, J. M. (1998). Gastropods in: FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes: The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific Volume 1. Seaweeds, corals, bivalves and gastropods. Rome, FAO, 1998. page 614.

Further reading
  • Cosel R. V. (1977). "First record of Mitra mitra (Linnaeus, 1758) (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) on the Pacific coast of Colombia". Veliger 19: 422-424.
  • "Mitra (Mitra) mitra". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  • Photos of Mitra mitra on Sealife Collection
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