Colus gracilis

Researched By	Lizzie Tyler	Data Supplied By	University of Sheffield
Refereed by	This information is not refereed.
Taxonomy
Scientific name	Colus gracilis	Common name	A gastropod mollusc
MCS Code	W715	Recent Synonyms
Phylum	Mollusca	Subphylum
Superclass		Class	Gastropoda
Subclass	Prosobranchia	Order	Neogastropoda
Suborder		Family	Buccinidae
Genus	Colus	Species	gracilis
Subspecies
Additional Information
Taxonomy References	Howson & Picton, 1997, Hayward & Ryland, 1995b
General Biology
Growth form	Turbinate	Feeding method	Predator, Scavenger
Mobility/Movement	Crawler	Environmental position	Epifaunal, Epibenthic
Typical food types	Carrion as well as bivalves and certain polychaetes	Habit	Free living
Bioturbator	Not relevant	Flexibility	None (< 10 degrees)
Fragility	Robust	Size	Small-medium(3-10cm)
Height	Not researched	Growth Rate	Not Researched
Adult dispersal potential	Not researched	Dependency	Independent
Sociability	Solitary
Toxic/Poisonous?	No
Additional Information	Observations of symbiosis between Colus gracilis and the cnidarian Hormathia digitata have been made (Ates, 1998).
Biology References	Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Seaward, 1982, Christensen, 1980, Graham, 1988, Philippart, 1998, Ates, 1998, Hayward & Ryland, 1990
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution in Britain & Ireland	Found throughout much of the British Isles and Ireland , less so in the southern North Sea and the English Channel.
Global distribution	Found in north-west Europe from Norway to the Shetlands (and possibly further north) and south to Spain and the Azores.
Biogeographic range	Temperate.	Depth range	30 - 80 m
Migratory	Non-migratory / Resident
Distribution Additional Information
Substratum preferences	Coarse clean sand, Fine clean sand, Sandy mud, Muddy sand	Physiographic preferences	Open coast, Offshore seabed
Biological zone	Lower Infralittoral, Upper Circalittoral, Lower Circalittoral, Circalittoral Offshore	Wave exposure	Not relevant
Tidal stream strength/Water flow	Field unresearched	Salinity	Full (30-40 psu)
Habitat Additional Information
AMBI Group (Borja et al., 2000)	I
Distribution References	Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Seaward, 1982, Christensen, 1980, Hayward & Ryland, 1990
Reproduction/Life History
Reproductive type	Gonochoristic	Developmental mechanism	Direct Development, Brooding
Reproductive Season	Not researched	Reproductive Location	As adult
Reproductive frequency	Annual protracted	Regeneration potential	No
Life span	21-100 years	Age at reproductive maturity	6-10 years
Generation time	Not researched	Fecundity
Egg/propagule size		Fertilization type	Internal
Larvae/Juveniles Larval/Juvenile dispersal potential Not relevant Larval settlement period Not researched Duration of larval stage
Additional Information
Reproduction References	Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Seaward, 1982, Graham, 1988, Fetter & Graham, 1962