Ringicula doliaris
Gould, 1860

Order: CEPHALASPIDEA
Family: Ringiculidae

DISTRIBUTION

Described from Sydney Harbour. Its range is unknown. There are many lots of Ringicula in museum collections and many names. Until the taxonomy is sorted out we can't say much about distributions.

PHOTO

entrance to Middle Harbour, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, 13m, July 1983. Dredged in soft sand. PHOTO: Bill Rudman.

The ringiculids are amongst the most "snail-like" of the bubble shells with a high spired heavily calcified shell. The body has the characteristic cephalaspidean "head shield" which is developed into a posterior median funnel or siphon. The opening of this can be clearly seen in the photo, surrounded by brown spots.

Ringiculids have a long fossil history at least back to the Cretaceous. Species are found in most seas of the world but little is known of the anatomy of more than three or four species. We know little about their biology or natural history, although Fretter (1960) notes that R. buccinea feeds on copepods and perhaps foraminiferans. Species are considered to be burrowers in fine sand and mud and species are found from the intertidal to over 5000m.

Reference:
• Fretter, V. (1960) Observations on the tectibranch Ringicula buccinea (Brocchi). Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 135: 537-549.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 1998 (December 4) Ringicula doliaris Gould, 1860. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/ringdoli

Related messages


Ringicula doliaris - feeding

February 28, 2001
From: Ja-Yang Park

Dear Bill,
I am working on the ecological study of the estuarine benthos and am making now a species list according to the feeding types. Ringicula doliaris as one of the species collected, but it's difficult to find its feeding type in the literature. I would very much appreciate any kind of advice and help.
With Best Regards,
Ja-Yang

Dr. Ja-Yang Park
Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute,
Marine Environment and Climate Change Laboratory,
Ansan P.O. Box 29, Seoul 425-600,
Korea

jypark@kordi.re.kr

Park, J-Y, 2001 (Feb 28) Ringicula doliaris - feeding. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3884

Dear Ja-Yang,

There is very little known about the biology of this genus anywhere in the world. The only published information on its feeding is a brief mention by Fretter in an anatomical description she made of the European species Ringicula buccinea. In that she said she had seen using its long curved teeth to drag in small copepods. She also suggested it might feed on foraminiferans that had been found in its stomach contents. Perhaps someone reading this can give us more information on the biology of any species of Ringicula, or a reference to such information which I may have overlooked.

Reference:
Fretter, V. (1960) Observations on the tectibranch Ringicula buccinea (Brocchi). Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 135: 537-549.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Feb 28). Comment on Ringicula doliaris - feeding by Ja-Yang Park. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3884

Ringicula doliaris

December 4, 1998
From: Bill Rudman

I've just added Ringicula doliaris as an early Christmas treat. Not very beautiful but rarely seen alive. .. Bill Rudman.