Morula uva | |
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Morula uva | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Neogastropoda |
Family: | Muricidae |
Genus: | Morula |
Species: | M. uva |
Binomial name | |
Morula uva (Röding, 1798) | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Morula uva is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.[1]
Morula uva has a shell that can be either colored white or purple with rows of dark tubercles.[2] The mouth has a shade color of light violet with toothlike projections.[2] There are various sizes and lengths of M. uva, some can be 15mm by 9mm, others can be smaller.[2]
Morula uva can be found in the tropical Indo-Pacific, which includes: the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean off Aldabra, Chagos, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin and Tanzania, Iluka and Woolgoolga, New South Wales, and Hawaii.[3]
Morula uva are scavengers and hunt their prey, whether it be fellow marine gastropod mollusk or other.[2] In boulder zone habitats, M. uva competes with Drupa ricinus when feeding on Denropoma.[4] In mid-reef flat rocky substratum, where Dendropoma are less common, Morula uva feed mainly upon small individuals or small species of the herbivorous gastropod family Cerithiidae.[4]
Uses of Morula uva vary in their design of their shells.[5] Just like other gastropods, their shells are used for ornamental value or shaped into toys and models.[5] Another use is artists using the shells as a canvas and paint their creative ideas onto the shell and sell them to customers.[5]
Morula uva |
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