Biodiversity & Conservation

American oyster drill - Urosalpinx cinerea

American oyster drill

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Distribution map

Urosalpinx cinerea recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

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Urosalpinx cinerea is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Mollusca Snails, slugs, mussels, cockles, clams & squid
Class Gastropoda Snails, slugs & sea butterflies
Authority Say, 1822
Recent synonyms None
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Urosalpinx cinerea is found on the Essex and Kent coasts, especially in estuaries and is associated with oysters.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Found on the lower shore and sublittoral to a depth of about 12 m, feeding especially on oysters.
Text page icon Description The shell of Urosalpinx cinerea is tall and conical with a sharply pointed spire. There are 7-8 whorls. The last whorl has with 10-12 ridges across the whorl and 16-18 prominent spiral lengthway ridges. The shell is yellowish or grey, sometimes with irregular brown marks. The shell is up to 4 cm high and 2 cm broad. The last whorl occupies about 70% of the shell height and the aperture 45-50%.The oval shell aperture has a thin and crenullate outer lip. The external features of the animal are similar to the dog whelk Nucella lapillus. The body is cream with dark markings on the tentacles and mantle edge. The head tentacles are flattened with eyes at the junction with the broader base. The foot is similar to Nucella lapillus.
Identifying features
  • Shell tall and conical with a sharply pointed spire.
  • 7-8 rounded whorls bearing pronounced ridges and ribs.
  • Colour yellowish or grey, sometimes with irregular brown marks.
  • Shell up to 4 cm high and 2 cm broad.
  • Siphonal canal is short and open with the siphonal groove bent towards the left.
    Additional information icon Additional information Urosalpinx cinerea was an unintentional introduction with American oysters Crassostrea virginica. It has limited adult mobility and the lack of a free-swimming larval stage prevents it spreading quickly. It was severely affected by tributyl tin (TBT) pollution. Urosalpinx cinerea predates native oysters and commercial oyster beds. It feeds by boring through oyster shells. The eggs of Urosalpinx cinerea are laid in capsules attached to oyster shells or stones. Each capsule has about 12 eggs, most of which hatch as juveniles. Urosalpinx cinerea resembles Ocenebra erinacea but the siphonal aperture is closed in Ocenebra erinacea and the shell is rough with uneven sculpturing. Urosalpinx cinerea also has a broader and fatter shell.

    This review can be cited as follows:

    Judith Oakley 2006. Urosalpinx cinerea. American oyster drill. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 04/02/2012]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=4549>