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Project Noah Nature School
Batillaria australis
About 25 mm long these whelks were a dark colour with sculptured whorls. The flared lip is not visible in these shots. Pic 2 shows the whelk as i found it, half buried in the silty soil, probably feeding on detritus.
Spotted on tidal flats - Westernport Bay.
These whelks are endemic to Australia, now found along the east coast all the way from Queensland to Tasmania.
The whelk is a host for a parasitic flatworm Austrobilharzia. The larvae of the flatworm burrow into feet of wadding birds and complete their development in the bird.
The whelks resemble a few others that also occur in the same ecological habitat. br>
Family: BATILLARIIDAE
More information:
http://www.surg.org.au/species/australis...
Spotted on Jan 9, 2016
Submitted on Jan 9, 2016
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