Article
Unusual Anatomy of the Ectoparasitic Muricid Vitularia salebrosa (King and Broderip, 1832) (Neogastropoda: Muricidae) from the Pacific Coast of Panama
The Nautilus
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2009
Disciplines
Abstract
The morphology and anatomy of Vitularia salebrosa, a muricid ectoparasitic on other mollusks, are investigated based on study of specimens from western Panama. Distinctive characters of this species include the small size of the buccal mass and radular apparatus, simplification of the odontophore muscles and diminished lateral teeth of the radula; an elongated, narrow proboscis; narrow digestive tract and a differentiable glandular region at the beginning of the posterior esophagus. These traits are consistent with adaptive specialization for an ectoparasitic life history
Rights Information
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0
Citation / Publisher Attribution
The Nautilus, v. 123, issue 3, p. 137-147
Citation Information
Luiz R. L. Simone, Gregory S. Herbert and Didier Merle. "Unusual Anatomy of the Ectoparasitic Muricid Vitularia salebrosa (King and Broderip, 1832) (Neogastropoda: Muricidae) from the Pacific Coast of Panama" The Nautilus Vol. 123 Iss. 3 (2009) p. 137 - 147 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/gregory-herbert/29/