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'''Nassarius''' is a genus of marine gastropod molluscs in the family Nassariidae.

Contents

Biology

Human uses

Species

References

Biology

''Nassarius'' are common inhabitants of warm seas and coral reefs in America, Asia and Pacific. They have oval shells with a long siphon (breathing organ). The main food of ''Nassarius'' are detritus and dead organisms. Some are carnivores.

Human uses

''Nassarius vibex'' is a species often grown in marine aquaria. The shells of many species are a popular collecting items.
Several beads made from ''Nassarius gibbosulus'' shells are thought to be the earliest known forms of personal adornment, or even jewelry. Two shell beads found in Skhul Cave on the slopes of Mount Carmel, Israel are thought to be 100,000 years old, whilst another found at Oued Djebbana, Algeria is believed to be 90,000 years old. A further group of pierced shells, some with red ochre, has been recovered from the Aterian levels at Grotte des Pigeons, Taforalt, Morocco; these ''Nassarius gibbosulus'' beads have been securely dated to about 82,000 years ago ^[1]. All these examples predate several 75,000 year old ''Nassarius kraussianus'' beads found at Blombos Cave, South Africa, also including some colored with red ochre, that were previously thought to be the oldest examples of jewelry. ^[2]

Species

★ ''Nassarius acutus'' (Say, 1822) - sharp nassa

★ ''Nassarius albus'' (Say, 1826) - antilles nassa, white nassa

★ ''Nassarius angulicostis'' (Pilsbry and Lowe, 1932)

★ ''Nassarius antillarum'' (d'Orbigny, 1842) - Antilles nassa

★ ''Nassarius aoteanus'' (Linnaeus, 1758)

★ ''Nassarius arcularius'' Finlay, 1927

★ ''Nassarius catallus'' (Dall, 1908)

★ ''Nassarius cerritensis'' (Arnold, 1903)


★ ''Nassarius consensus'' (Ravenel, 1861) - striate nassa

★ ''Nassarius crematus'' (Hinds, 1844)

★ ''Nassarius cremmatus''

★ ''Nassarius delosi'' (Woodring, 1946)

★ ''Nassarius ephamillus'' (Watson, 1882)

★ ''Nassarius fossatus'' (Gould, 1850) - channeled nassa

★ ''Nassarius fraterculus'' (Dunker, 1860) - Japanese nassa

★ ''Nassarius gallegosi'' Strong and Hertlein, 1937

★ ''Nassarius glans particeps'' (Hedley, 1915)

★ ''Nassarius guaymasensis'' (Pilsbry and Lowe, 1932)

★ ''Nassarius hotessieri'' (d'Orbigny, 1845) - miniature nassa

★ ''Nassarius howardae'' Chace, 1958

★ ''Nassarius incrassatus'' (Stroem, 1768)

★ ''Nassarius insculptus'' (Carpenter, 1864) - smooth western nassa

★ ''Nassarius iodes'' (Dall, 1917)

★ ''Nassarius limacinus'' (Dall, 1917)

★ ''Nassarius luteostoma'' Broderip and Sowerby, 1829

★ ''Nassarius mendicus'' (Gould, 1850) - lean western nassa

★ ''Nassarius miser'' (Dall, 1908)

★ ''Nassarius moestus'' (Hinds, 1844)

★ ''Nassarius nanus''

★ ''Nassarius nigrolabra'' (Verrill, 1880)

★ ''Nassarius obsoletus'' (Say, 1822) - eastern mudsnail

★ ''Nassarius olomea'' Kay, 1979

★ ''Nassarius onchodes'' (Dall, 1917)

★ ''Nassarius pagodus'' (Reeve, 1844)

★ ''Nassarius papillosus'' (Gould, 1850)

★ ''Nassarius perpinguis'' (Hinds, 1844) - fat western nassa

★ ''Nassarius polygonatus'' (Lamarck, 1822)

★ ''Nassarius pygmaeus'' Lamarck, 1822

★ ''Nassarius reticulatus'' (Linnaeus, 1758)

★ ''Nassarius rhinetes'' S. S. Berry, 1953 - California nassa

★ ''Nassarius scissuratus'' (Dall, 1889) - carved nassa

★ ''Nassarius shaskyi'' Mclean, 1970

★ ''Nassarius spiratus'' (A. Adams, 1852)

★ ''Nassarius splendidulus'' (Dunker, 1846)

★ ''Nassarius tiarula'' (Kiener, 1841) - western mud nassa

★ ''Nassarius trivittatus'' (Say, 1822) - threeline mudsnail

★ ''Nassarius versicolor'' (C. B. Adams, 1852)

★ ''Nassarius vibex'' (Say, 1822) - bruised nassa

References

1. Bouzouggar, A., Barton, N., Vanhaeren, M., d'Errico, F., Collcutt, S., Higham, T., Hodge, E., Parfitt, S., Rhodes, E., Schwenninger, J.-L., Stringer, C., Turner, E., Ward, S., Moutmir, A. and Stambouli, A. 2007. "82,000-year-old shell beads from North Africa and implications for the origins of modern human behavior" ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences'', June 4, 2007; http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0703877104v1
2. Study reveals 'oldest jewellery', BBC News, 22 June 2006


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