E-Fauna BC Home

Janthina janthina (Linnaeus, 1758)
Violet Snail
Family: Janthinidae
Introduction to the Gastropods of BC

Photograph

© Public Domain     (Photo ID #15433)

Map

E-Fauna BC Static Map

Distribution of Janthina janthina in British Columbia in British Columbia

Introduction


The Violet Snail is a predatory sea snail found in warm seas around the world (Gastropods.com 2011, Gofas 2011, Sealifebase 2011). In the Eastern Pacific Ocean, it is found from British Columbia south to Hawaii (Lamb and Hanby 2005). It is a surface-dwelling species that drifts in the open ocean, and often occurs in large groups or rafts (Wikipedia 2011). It is "a member of the Janthinidae family, snails that trap air bubbles with a layer of clear chitin to maintain their positions at the surface of the ocean where they are predatious on the hydrozoans" (Wikipedia 2011).

Status Information

Origin StatusProvincial StatusBC List
(Red Blue List)		COSEWIC
UnlistedUnlistedUnlistedUnlisted



BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Fragilis fragilis Lamarck, J.B.P.A. de, 1816
Helix janthina Linnaeus, 1758
Janthina affinis Reeve, 1858
Janthina balteata Reeve, 1858
Janthina britannica Forbes & Hanley, 1853
Janthina carpenteri Mørch, 1860
Janthina depressa Reeve, 1858
Janthina grandis Reeve, L.A., 1858
Janthina ianthina Link, H.F., 1807
Janthina prolongata Blainville 1822
Janthina roseola Reeve, L.A., 1858
Janthina smithiae Reeve, 1858
Janthina striulata Carpenter, 1857
Janthina striulata Carpenter, 1857
Janthina violacea Röding, 1798
Janthina vulgaris Gray, 1847
Violetta communis Lamarck, J.B.P.A. de, 1822

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Ocean Biogeographic Information System Distribution Map

General References

Google Scholar Search

© 2014 E-Fauna BC  Contact us