49 — Lined whelk, Buccinulum linea

Buccinulum linea laying eggs,
Tamaki Drive, 1/09/16.

Buccinulum linea laying eggs,
Tamaki Drive, 1/09/16.

Buccinulum linea, Tamaki Drive, 1/09/16.

The lined whelk, Buccinulum linea * is a small (~35mm) gastropod, which is endemic to New Zealand. They live inter-tidally and down to a couple of dozen metres depth and are common if you know where to look. They are thought to feed on compound ascidians (although I can't remember where I read that...), so if you look for a place where there are conditions that compound ascidian like, then chances are you'll also find lined whelks.

The first two pictures show a lined whelk laying eggs. The eggs are quite small when they are first laid (otherwise, where would they all fit?), but quickly expand by absorbing water.

There are many species of these whelks in New Zealand, and they can be quite a challenge to identify, as some of them are superficially quite similar-looking. Consequently, there are a few mis-identifications on the web.

*(Martyn, 1784)











More info:

http://www.mollusca.co.nz/speciesdetail.php?speciesid=1072&species=Buccinulum%20linea