Puperita pupa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Puperita pupa |
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| Puperita pupa | |
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| Four Shells of Puperita pupa showing color variation, one showing the ventral side and on the lower left, an operculum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| (unranked): |
clade Neritimorpha
clade Cycloneritimorpha |
| Superfamily: |
Neritoidea
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| Family: |
Neritidae
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| Genus: |
Puperita
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| Species: |
P. pupa
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| Binomial name | |
| Puperita pupa (Linnaeus, 1767)
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Puperita pupa is a small and colorful sea snail. It's a type of mollusk that lives in the ocean, belonging to a group called gastropods. These snails are part of the Neritidae family, often known as nerites.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
The shell of Puperita pupa is shaped like a globe or a small ball. It doesn't have a tall, pointy top. The shell has about two to three turns or spirals. The edge of its opening, called the outer lip, is thin and sharp.
The area around the opening, known as the columellar area, looks smooth and shiny. The largest snails found are about 10.6 millimeters long. That's a little less than half an inch!
Shell Colors and Patterns
This snail is known for its striking black and white stripes. These stripes go up and down the shell, making it look a bit like a zebra. The opening of the shell is usually gray, and the inner part, called the parietal callus, can be a yellowish-brown color. The operculum, which is like a little door that closes the shell, is a bright yellow.
Where Does It Live?
Puperita pupa is a common sea snail found in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.
Places You Can Find It
You can spot these snails in many different places around the Caribbean, including:
- Cayman Islands
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Hispaniola (the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic)
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Venezuela
- Dominica
See Also
In Spanish: Puperita pupa para niños
