67 — Robust lined whelk, Buccinulum robustum

Buccinulum robustum

Buccinulum robustum Powell, 1929, is another of those small (~15mm) sea shells for which there is very little in the way of ecological data. They are endemic to the north eastern part of New Zealand's North Island, where they are found around the low tide mark down to ~55m.

Buccinulum robustum

Buccinulum robustum

One of the challenges with these buccinulid whelks is that many species are not only superficially similar, but also quite variable morphologically. Consequently, it can be quite difficult to tell where one species stops and another begins. These specimens were collected from near Little Hat Island, Whangarei, 30/9/07.


















More info: 

More pictures of B. robustum: http://www.mollusca.co.nz/speciesdetail.php?speciesid=1079&species=%20robustum#prettyPhoto