Micromelo undatus

Miniature melo
The live animal of Micromela undatus, head end towards the upper right
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Heterobranchia informal group Lower Heterobranchia
Superfamily:	Acteonoidea
Family:	Aplustridae
Genus:	Micromelo
Species:	M. undatus
Binomial name
Micromelo undatus (Bruguière, 1792)

Micromelo undatus, common name the miniature melo, is an uncommon species of small sea snail or bubble snail, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aplustridae.

Distribution

This species occurs in the Caribbean, Florida, Costa Rica, Panama, Bermuda, Brazil,^[1] Cape Verde Islands, Canary Islands, Ascension Island, Eastern Atlantic, South Africa, Japan, Thailand and the State of Hawaii.

Habitat

This species lives in shallow water, up to 5 m in depth, on soft substrates and on the algal turf areas of rocky reefs.

Description

The thinly calcified shell is covered with undulating brown lines, crossed with two other spiral lines. The shell length is 12 to 17 mm.

The large, colorful body is blue with white spots. The margin of the foot has a diffuse blue line.

Life habits

This snail feeds on cirratulinid polychaete worms. The toxins from these worms become incorporated into the snail's tissues and are then used for the bubble snail's own defense.

References