Superfamily Muricoidea Genus Mitra Scientific name Mitra mitra Rank Species | Subgenus Mitra Higher classification Mitra | |
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Similar Mitra, Mitridae, Gastropods, Mitra papalis, Molluscs | ||
Mitra mitra, common name the episcopal miter, is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Mitridae, the miters.
Contents
Distribution
Widespread in the Indo-Pacific, from East Africa, including Madagascar and the Red Sea, to eastern Polynesia. North to southern Japan, Wake Island and Hawaii, and south to Australia.
Habitat
This species lives in intertidal and sublittoral zones, to a depth of around 80 m.
Feeding
Mitra mitra is known to be carnivorous, an active predator that feeds on smaller gastropods and bivalves.
Shell description
The maximum shell length for this species is 18 cm, usually to 14 cm. Like in all Mitridae, the shell is elongate, somewhat fusiform, with a high spire. The aperture is elongate and narrow, and the outer lip is smooth and not lirate (grooved). Unlike other species of the Mitra genus, the spire is not strongly shouldered. The surface of the shell is smooth, with a few weak, spiral grooves towards the anterior end. The colour is white, with spiral rows of large irregular orange or red spots.