Turritella communis

Common Tower Snail ( Turritella communis)

The common worm tower ( Turritella communis ) is a species of snail that lives in European coastal waters.

Features

The case is thin, slim, tower-like and highly wound. The rounded coils have a deep suture, the apex is pointed. The surface structure of the housing is formed by the crossing of the coarse with the fine spiral strips Axialstreifen. Sometimes, particularly in the lower portion of the housing can be seen more clearly, irregular growth lines. The color of the body varies from reddish brown to yellowish, while the spindle of the house is stained much brighter. The housing of Turritella communis reached a length of 4 to 6 cm.

System

In the more recent classification of gastropods species is listed in the genus Turritella and the Turritellidae family ( tower screw ) and the order Sorbeoconcha. Previously, the family was in the now deprecated prestigious order of the means snails ( Mesogastropoda ), provided the subclass prosobranch ( Prosobranchia ).

Biology and habitat

The habitat of Turritella communis form the coasts of Europe, especially the Mediterranean Sea, the German Bight and the eastern Atlantic. They prefer sandy soil in which they dig and only the case mouth at the surface remains to einzustrudeln with eyelashes on the operculum small food particles in the mouth. For this reason, live animals are difficult to discover. Occasionally, masses come on but the empty and more or less damaged housing, which are washed by the wave motion of the sand. On Spülsaum flatter stretches of coastline - along the western coast of the Adriatic Sea - the target of the housing together flushed out in the direction of wave motion. The case reaches a length of about four centimeters. The common worm tower reaches a maximum age of 5 years.