Nassa serta

{{Short description|Species of gastropod}} '''''Nassa serta''''', commonly known as the '''sertum rock shell''', is a species of sea snail in the family Muricidae.<ref name="WoRMS2">MolluscaBase eds. (2025). ''Nassa serta'' (Bruguière, 1789). In: MolluscaBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 1 April 2025, from https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=215680</ref> It was originally described by Bruguière in 1789 and has undergone several taxonomic revisions.<ref name="Houart1996">Houart, R. (1996). The genus ''Nassa'' Röding 1798 in the Indo-West Pacific (Gastropoda: Muricidae: Rapaninae). ''Archiv für Molluskenkunde'', 126(1–2), 51–63.</ref>{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}} {{Speciesbox | image = Nassa serta 01.jpg | image_caption = | genus = Nassa | species = serta | authority = (Bruguière, 1789) | synonyms_ref = <ref name="WoRMS">{{WRMS species|215680|''Nassa serta'' (Bruguière, 1789)||31 December 2010}}</ref> | synonyms = * ''Buccinum coronatum'' Gmelin, 1791 * ''Buccinum sertum'' Bruguière, 1789 * ''Iopas hederacea'' (Schumacher, 1817) * ''Iopas sertum'' (Bruguière, 1789) * ''Nassa picta'' Röding, 1798 * ''Stramonita hederacea'' Schumacher, 1817 }}

==Description== The shell of ''Nassa serta'' varies in size from 38 mm to 70 mm.<ref name="SeaLifeBase">SeaLifeBase. (2025). ''Nassa serta'' (Bruguière, 1789). SeaLifeBase. Retrieved 2 April 2025, from https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Nassa-serta.html</ref> It is robust and elongated, with pronounced spiral ridges and axial ribs that give it a textured appearance. The coloration typically ranges from light to dark brown, often with contrasting bands or spots.<ref name="Poutiers1998">Poutiers, J. M. (1998). Gastropods. In: Carpenter, K. E. & Niem, V. H. (Eds.), ''FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific'', Vol. 1. FAO, Rome. pp. 363–648.</ref>{{Expand section|date=April 2010}}

==Distribution== This species occurs widely across the Indo-Pacific region. It is recorded in the Red Sea, off the coasts of Tanzania, Madagascar and Mauritius, and the Chagos Archipelago, and as far east as Hawaii and Eastern Australia.<ref name="SeaLifeBase" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Nassa serta (Bruguière, 1789) |url=https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=215680#distributions |access-date=2025-12-12 |website=www.marinespecies.org}}</ref> Records from the Pitcairn Islands and French Polynesia confirm its range extends into the remote Pacific.<ref>Paulay, G. (1989). Marine invertebrates of the Pitcairn Islands: species composition and biogeography of corals, molluscs, and echinoderms. ''Atoll Research Bulletin'', 326, 1–28.</ref><ref>Tröndlé, J., & Boutet, M. (2009). Inventory of marine molluscs of French Polynesia. ''Atoll Research Bulletin'', 570, 1–90.</ref>

== Habitat and Ecology == ''Nassa serta'' inhabits shallow subtidal zones, typically at depths of 3 to 12 meters.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Houart, R. |date=1996 |title=The genus Nassa Röding 1798 in the Indo-West Pacific (Gastropoda: Muricidae: Rapaninae) |journal=Archiv für Molluskenkunde |volume=126 |issue=1–2 |pages=51–63}}</ref> It is commonly found under corals, slabs, and stones in reef-associated environments.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Claremont, M.; Vermeij, G. J.; Williams, S. T.; Reid, D. G. |date=2013 |title=Global phylogeny and new classification of the Rapaninae (Gastropoda: Muricidae), dominant molluscan predators on tropical rocky seashores |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=66 |pages=91–102 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2012.09.014}}</ref> Like other muricids, it is a carnivorous or scavenging snail, often feeding on sessile invertebrates or carrion.

== Reproduction == This species is a non-broadcast spawner, meaning it does not release eggs freely into the water column.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Poutiers, J. M. |title=Gastropods |publisher=FAO |year=1998 |location=Rome |pages=363–648 |chapter=In: Carpenter, K. E. & Niem, V. H. (Eds.), The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific, Volume 1}}</ref> Fertilization is internal, and eggs are laid in capsules attached to hard surfaces. Its development bypasses the trochophore stage, instead producing veliger larvae or juveniles directly.<ref>Ruppert, E. E., Fox, R. S., & Barnes, R. D. (2004). ''Invertebrate Zoology: A Functional Evolutionary Approach'' (7th ed.). Brooks/Cole (Thomson), 990 pp.</ref>{{Taxonbar|from=Q1356101}}

==References== {{Reflist}} * Dautzenberg, Ph. (1929). ''Mollusques testacés marins de Madagascar''. Faune des Colonies Francaises, Tome III * Houart R. (1996) ''The genus Nassa Röding 1798 in the Indo-West Pacific (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia: Muricidae: Rapaninae)''. Archiv für Molluskenkunde 126(1–2):51–63

==External links== {{Commons category|Nassa serta}} * {{Gastropods.com|key=7|id=1157|title=''Nassa serta''|access-date=31 December 2010}}

Category:Gastropods described in 1789 serta Category:Taxa named by Jean Guillaume Bruguière