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Urosalpinx cinerea, common name Atlantic Oyster Drill, is a species of small predatory sea snail, a marine and temperate gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murexes or rock snails. They use chemoreception in their environment. This animal is not physically able to close itself from its surrounding environment because of its siphonal canal.

This species is a serious problem in commercial oyster beds and it has been accidentally introduced well outside its natural range.

Contents
[hide]
 * 1Distribution
 * 2Habitat
 * 3Life habits
 * 4Human relevance
 * 5References
 * 6External links

Distribution[edit source | edit]
This snail is endemic to the Atlantic coast of North America, from Nova Scotia to Nassau Sound in Florida. It has been accidentally introduced with oyster spat to Northern Europe and to the West Coast of North America from California to Washington.[1] They range in areas with salinity and temperature changing seasonally and with the tidal currents.

Habitat[edit source | edit]
This species lives from low tide down to a depth of 25 feet. It inhabits the lower third of the littoral zone, therefore it is sheltered from any waves the ocean produces.

Life habits[edit source | edit]
As indicated by its common name, this predatory snail drills through the shells of living oysters and consumes them. Once he embraces the barnacle or mussel with his foot, he drills through the shell. It feeds on many different species of invertebrates. A few favorites are the barnacle Balanus balanoides and the mussel Mytilus edulis. Food supply is mainly found in intertidal areas in the Atlantic region. The Atlantic Oyster Drill finds its food by smell.

Just like any other animal, ecological factors affect the growth of an individual. The type of food, amount of food, and the amount of time given for a species to grow, are all important factors.

They range in size, but an average length for a male and female are 24 millimeters and 28 millimeters. Not only are females longer, but they are also are taller than their males . Almost all Atlantic oyster drills reach their largest size after two full growing seasons. About 70% of their size is reached within this time span. In the next four or so years to come, there is little or no increase in size anymore. Unfortunately, there is no protected way to check the sex of these gastropods. Their shell must be crushed in order to see the genitalia using a microscope. Although some females posses a penis that may look like a small vestigial formation, other parts are used to confirm the sex. Finding the egg capsule gland, ovary, and any sperm ingesting glands make it easier to identify the oyster drill as a female.

Human relevance[edit source | edit]
Due to their ability of "drilling" into shells, the destruction of their nature can cost millions of dollars every single year.

This snail is a serious problem in commercial oyster farming:

Advocates of making use of bycatch, rather than discarding it, have promoted the oyster drill as a food, similar to escargot.[3]

References[edit source | edit]

 * 1) Jump up^ Abbott, R. Tucker, 1986. Seashells of North America, St. Martin's Press, New York.
 * 2) Jump up^
 * 3) Jump up^ Engelhardt, Elizabeth, "An Oyster by Any Other Name", Southern Spaces, 18 April 2011

External links[edit source | edit]
Categories:
 * U. cinerea at Gastropods.com
 * MBL Marine Organisms Database page