Home - Species of the Month Archive - May 2009.
Species of the Month May 2009
Common name: American oyster drill
Scientific name: Urosalpinx cinerea
A type of sea snail
Key Features:
- Up to 4 cm high and 2 cm broad
- Shell with sharply pointed spire
- Yellowish/grey, often with brown colouration
- Long, open, siphonal canal
- Rounded whorls with rounded vertical ribs crossed by thinner spiral ridges
Where to look:
Common in estuaries but also on the lower shore and subtidally, usually on rocks or bivalve reefs. Eggs are laid higher up on the shore.
Origin:
East coast of the USA. Introduced with oysters.
Effects
Preys heavily on oysters and other bivalves
