NUTMEG SHELLS FROM THE TROPICS

Nutmeg Shells

The common nutmeg, Cancellaria reticulata, belongs to a species of medium-sized to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cancellariidae, also known as nutmeg snails.

The common nutmeg resides in offshore waters, and its empty shells are sometimes found washed up on ocean beaches. They inhabit the shores of North Carolina, extend southward across the Gulf of Mexico, traverse the Caribbean, and reach as far as the northern coasts of South America and Brazil.

The shell of this species can reach up to 2.5 inches in length, although most specimens are smaller than one inch. It features a rough texture characterized by numerous spiral cords intersecting with axial ribs, creating a lattice or beaded appearance. The aperture is elongated and includes a brief canal, while the inner margin displays two pronounced, slender spiral ridges that extend into the aperture. There is no operculum.

The common nutmeg is characterized by its coloration, which features bands or splotches of cream, orange, or brown hues.

This family of sea snails is vegetarian, residing in tropical seas. On rare occasions, they have been discovered in temperate waters.

Scientific classification

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Subclass: Caenogastropoda

Order: Neogastropoda

Family: Cancellariidae

Genus: Cancellaria

Species: C. reticulata

Binomial name: Cancellaria reticulata

(REF: Bouchet, P. (2010). Cancellaria reticulata (Linnaeus, 1767). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species)(REF: Abbott, R. Tucker, 1986. Seashells of North America, St. Martin's Press, New York Common Nutmeg)(REF: Petit, R.E. & Harasewych, M.G. (2005) Catalogue of the superfamily Cancellarioidea Forbes and Hanley, 1851 (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia)- 2nd edition. Zootaxa )(REF: Rosenberg, G., F. Moretzsohn, and E. F. García. 2009. Gastropoda (Mollusca) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 579–699 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.)

Common Nutmeg Shell

GG2-10

One quarter pound of Common Nutmeg Shells, ranging in size from 1/4 to 3/8 inch. ..... .99

Orange Nutmeg Shells

Orange Nutmeg shells are distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region, commonly located along tropical seashores in shallow, sandy waters.

I0-10

One quarter pound of Orange Nutmegs, ranging in size from 1/4 to 3/8 inch...... $1.39

This Form cannot be submitted until the missing fields (labelled below in red) have been filled in
YOUR COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT SHELLS OF AQUARIUS LISTINGS
Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in.
First Name*
Last Name
E-Mail Address
Street Address
City
State/Prov
Zip/Postal Code
Country*	CountryUnited StatesCanada----------------AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntiguaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGrenadaGuamGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard and McDonald IslandsHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribadiNorth KoreaSouth KoreaKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoFederated States of MicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontserratMoroccoMontenegroMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairn IslandPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaS. Georgia and S. Sandwich Isls.Saint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaSt. HelenaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSudanSurinameSvalbardSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluU.S. Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamUS Virgin IslandsWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenYugoslavia (former)ZaireZambiaZimbabwe
Home Phone
Business Phone
YOUR QUESTION TO SHELLS OF AQUARIUS
Please complete the challenge that you see below.