Description: A small marine snail with a spiral, conical shell.
Global Distribution: Occurs in subtropical waters of the eastern-central Atlantic, from Galicia in the Iberian Peninsula to Morocco and the Western Sahara, including Madeira and the Canary Islands, but absent from the Azores.
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum size 20 mm; medium size 9.72 mm.
Age: Maximum age 9 years.
Weight length rel.:
Growth type:
von Bertallanfy growth parameters:
Reproduction:
Maturity:
Behavioural ecology:
Population structure & migrations:
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: Restricted to the intertidal area.
Habitat: Intertidal, on rocky shores.
Feeding habits: Herbivorous; grazes on algae found on rocks.
Trophic level:
FISHERIES
Commercial interest: Top shells have been consumed since the Paleolithic. Today, this constitutes a minor, but much appreciated, commercial species. It is generally served as an appetizer.
Conservation status: Not evaluated.
Nutritional information & food safety:
Proximate composition per 100 g (estimated from other topshell species):
energy value 79.7 kcal (4.0% DRV)
protein 12.1 g (24.2% DRV)
fat 0.6 g (0.9% DRV)
REFERENCES
Donald K.M., Preston J., Williams S.T., Reid D.G., Winter D., Alvarez R., Buge B., Hawkins S.J., Templado J., Spencer H.G. (2012). Phylogenetic relationships elucidate colonization patterns in the intertidal grazers Osilinus Philippi, 1847 and Phorcus Risso, 1826 (Gastropoda: Trochidae) in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 62(1): 35-45.
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
RamÃrez R., Tuya F., Sánchez-Jerez P., Fernández-Gil C., Bergasa O., Haroun R.J., Hernández-Brito J.J., (2005). Estructura poblacional y distribución espacial de los moluscos gasterópodos Osilinus atrata y Osilinus sauciatus en el intermareal rocoso de las Islas Canarias (Atlántico centro-oriental). Ciencias Marinas, 31(4): 697-706.
Rubal M., Veiga P., Moreira J., Sousa-Pinto I. (2014). The gastropod Phorcus sauciatus (Koch, 1845) along the north-west Iberian Peninsula: filling historical gaps. Helgoland Marine Research, 68(1): 169-177.
Segers W., Swinnen F., Abreu A.D. (2009). An annotated checklist of the marine molluscs from the archipelagos of Madeira and the Selvagens (NE Atlantic Ocean). Bocagiana, 226: 1-60.
Taboada C., Millán R., Miguez I., Fernández-Pulpeiro E. (2008). Composición en macronutrientes, aminoácidos y minerales de algunos invertebrados marinos no utilizados habitualmente como alimento. Revista Real Academia Galega de Ciencias, 27: 95-106.
Turrero P., Muñoz-Colmenero A.M., Prado A., Garcia-Vazquez E. (2014). Long-term impacts of human harvesting on shellfish: North Iberian top shells and limpets from the Upper Palaeolithic to the present. Journal of Marine Systems, 139: 51-57.
Vlieg, P., 1988. Proximate Composition of New Zealand Marine Finfish and Shellfish, Palmerston North: Biotechnology Division, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. In Smith I. (2011). Meat Weight, Nutritional and Energy Yield Values for New Zealand Archaeofauna. Otago Archaeological Report No. 8, 25 pp.
