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Sordid Moon Snail's Egg Mass (Polinices sordidus) Also called Sausage Jelly, this ring-shaped jelly mass contains minute eggs of the Sordid Moon Snail - seen here as tiny yellow specks within the jelly. This is a common sight along the shore in the mangrove mudflats in these parts.<br /> The eggs are laid in a jelly matrix which swells up after absorbing water. After a few days, the jelly breaks up releasing the developing larvae as plankton into the sea. Adult moon snails predate on cockles and clams by drilling holes through the shell as in <br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/36895/thin-ribbed_cockle_fulvia_tenuicostata.html" title="Thin-ribbed Cockle (Fulvia tenuicostata)"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2767/36895_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=bXaVqL74b%2FPBQIU9%2BCf9y0lIgQ0%3D" width="200" height="180" alt="Thin-ribbed Cockle (Fulvia tenuicostata) This was one among many shells on the shore however, it had a neatly drilled hole with beveled inner edge on the part where the cockle would have been most fleshy. I found a few of these shells with holes as I walked along the shore. Investigating further, I found that these holes were made by the predacious Sordid Moon Snail (Polinices sordidus). Although I could not find the snail I found tracks on the sand. The snail would have drilled through the cockle shell and feasted on the flesh within.<br /> My next spotting shows the egg mass of this snail, a common sighting in these parts.<br /> http://www.jungledragon.com/image/36896 Australia,Cardium racketti,Common Southern Cockle,Fulvia tenuicostata,Geotagged,Summer" /></a></figure> Australia,Geotagged,Polinices sordidus,Sordid Moon Snail,Summer Click/tap to enlarge PromotedSpecies introCountry intro

Sordid Moon Snail's Egg Mass (Polinices sordidus)

Also called Sausage Jelly, this ring-shaped jelly mass contains minute eggs of the Sordid Moon Snail - seen here as tiny yellow specks within the jelly. This is a common sight along the shore in the mangrove mudflats in these parts.
The eggs are laid in a jelly matrix which swells up after absorbing water. After a few days, the jelly breaks up releasing the developing larvae as plankton into the sea. Adult moon snails predate on cockles and clams by drilling holes through the shell as in

Thin-ribbed Cockle (Fulvia tenuicostata) This was one among many shells on the shore however, it had a neatly drilled hole with beveled inner edge on the part where the cockle would have been most fleshy. I found a few of these shells with holes as I walked along the shore. Investigating further, I found that these holes were made by the predacious Sordid Moon Snail (Polinices sordidus). Although I could not find the snail I found tracks on the sand. The snail would have drilled through the cockle shell and feasted on the flesh within.<br /> My next spotting shows the egg mass of this snail, a common sighting in these parts.<br /> http://www.jungledragon.com/image/36896 Australia,Cardium racketti,Common Southern Cockle,Fulvia tenuicostata,Geotagged,Summer

    comments (5)

  1. View RMFelix's profile
    RMFelix
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    Great find! Posted 9 years ago
  2. View Jivko Nakev's profile
    Jivko Nakev
    Lion
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    Very interesting! I am very curious to see the snail itself. I tried to find some photos in the Net, but only the shell. Also, I got quite confused in the taxonomy of this species. Some sources say the accepted name is Conuber sordida.
    http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=817876     Posted 9 years ago
  3. View Leuba Ridgway's profile
    Leuba Ridgway
    Lion
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    Polinices and Conuber appear to be synonyms according to both WoRMS and the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA). The working classification on ALA is Polinices (Conuber) sordidus. EOL also lists it as Polinices sordidus.
    Jivko, I've had no luck with the snail either. I think in the tidal areas they tunnel just under the surface     Posted 9 years ago
  4. View morpheme's profile
    morpheme
    Lion
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    Here's a photo of the snail poking out of the shell - http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/Find+out+about/Animals+of+Queensland/Molluscs/Gastropods/Marine+snails/Leaden+Sand+Snail#.Vu_42kuvYvc

    We've a similar species here - Lewis's Moon Snail - They look quite similar, but ours are much bigger     Posted 9 years ago
  5. View Leuba Ridgway's profile
    Leuba Ridgway
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    Thank you so much for the link morpheme. The snail looks so non-threatening and yet.... Posted 9 years ago

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The Sordid Moon Snail

Polinices sordidus is a moon snail in the Polinices genus.

Info 1 0
Similar species: Littorinimorpha
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
View Leuba Ridgway's profile

By Leuba Ridgway

All rights reserved
Uploaded Mar 19, 2016. Captured Jan 11, 2012 15:56 in 1 Mayne Ave, Hastings VIC 3915, Australia.
country flag of Australia Explore Australia 13,072 4,173 3
  • DC 120
  • f/4.3
  • 1/709s
  • ISO100
  • 6.2mm
Captured in the summer. More summer photos.