Micromelo undatus (Bruguière 1792)

Micromelo undatus, common name the miniature melo, is an uncommon species of small sea snail or bubble snail, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aplustridae.^[1]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Caribbean, Florida, Costa Rica, Panama, Bermuda, Brazil,^[2] Cape Verde Islands, Canary Islands, Ascension Island, Eastern Atlantic, South Africa, Japan, Thailand,Bali, and the State of Hawaii.

Description

Micromelo undatus shells.

Micromelo undatus, head end towards the upper right.

The thinly calcified shell is covered with undulating brown lines, crossed with two other spiral lines. The shell length is 12 to 17 mm. The maximum recorded shell length is 17 mm.^[3]

The large, colorful body is blue with white spots. The margin of the foot has a diffuse blue line.

Habitat

Minimum recorded depth is 0 m.^[3] Maximum recorded depth is 5 m.^[3] It lives on soft substrates and on the algal turf areas of rocky reefs.

Feeding habits

This snail feeds on cirratulinid polychaete worms. The toxins from these worms become incorporated into the snail's tissues and are then used for the bubble snail's own defense.

References

Micromelo undatus is een slakkensoort uit de familie van de Aplustridae.^[1] De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort is voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1792 door Bruguière.