Pupa is a genus of small sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Acteonidae.
The genus is named Pupa because the shell of these snails resemble an insect pupa in overall shape. The animal has a large headshield with a deep median slit, separating it into two posteriorly projecting lobes.
According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), the following species are included within the genus Pupa:
Pupa affinis (A. Adams, 1854)Distribution : South Africa, Red Sea, Indo-PacificLength : 11-20 mmDescription : cream-colored shell with horizontal spiraled patterns (dark brown, light brown or greenish) without dark borders; sharp apexPupa alveola (Souverbie, 1863)Pupa coccinata L. A. Reeve, 1842 (considered by some to be a color form of Pupa strigosa)Distribution : Japan, tropical Indo-West PacificLength : 25 mmDescription : headshield flaps cover the opening of the mantle cavity; white-colored with many orange-red spots in spiraling bandsPupa davisi Kilburn, 1975Distribution: South AfricaLength : 12.5 mmDescription : cream-colored shell with sharp apex.Pupa niecaensis Barnard, 1963Pupa nitulida (Lamarck, 1816) Smooth pink pupaPupa pascuana Raines, 2002Pupa pudica (A. Adams, 1854)† Pupa reticulata (Martin, 1884)Pupa sekii Habe, 1958Pupa sinica Lin, 1989Pupa solidula Linnaeus, 1758 Solid pupaPupa strigosa (Gould, 1859)Pupa sulcata (Gmelin, 1791) Furrowed pupaDistribution : cosmopolitan, tropical Indo-Pacific, Kermadec Islands, JapanLength : 10-25 mmDescription : intertidal and up to depths of 30 m, burrowing in the sand; lightbrown shell with horizontal darker bands, where the darkest parts form a vertical band; sharp apexPupa suturalis (A. Adams, 1854)Pupa tessellata (Reeve, 1842)Pupa tragulata Iredale, 1936Species brought into synonymyPupa choshiensis (Habe, 1958): synonym of Rictaxiella choshiensis Habe, 1958Pupa flammea (Gmelin, 1791): synonym of Maxacteon flammeus (Bruguière, 1789)Pupa grisebla Röding, 1798: synonym of Pupa solidula (Linnaeus, 1758)Pupa kirki (Hutton, 1873): synonym of Pupa affinis (A. Adams, 1855)Pupa nivea (Angas, 1871) synonym of Pupa affinis (A. Adams, 1855)Pupa novoseelandica L. Pfeiffer, 1853: synonym of Phenacharopa novoseelandica (L. Pfeiffer, 1853)Pupa roseomaculata Iredale, 1936: synonym of Pupa solidula (Linnaeus, 1758)Pupa umbilicata Draparnaud, 1801: synonym of Lauria cylindracea (da Costa, 1778)The database Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database (OBIS) also includes the following names in current use :
Pupa acutaPupa alba (Hutton, 1873)Pupa cinereaPupa fraterculusPupa insculptaPupa pusillaPupa strigosaPupa thaanumi Pilsbry, 1917Pupa alveola Souverbie, 1863Distribution : Indo-PacificPupa choshiensis T. Habe, 1958Distribution : JapanPupa cinerea R. B. Watson, 1886Distribution : JapanPupa clathrata Yokoyama, 1922Distribution : JapanPupa fumata Gould, 1859 Brown PupaDistribution : tropical, Western Australia, Indo-PacificLength : 20 mmDescription : shell with spiral ribs; patterns of brown or gray spots on a cream-colored background; whorls separated by a white narrow band.Pupa niecaensis K. H. Barnard, 1963Distribution : South AfricaPupa pudica Adams, 1854Distribution : HawaiiLength : 7 mmDescription : pink-colored elongate shell, with spiral bands of lightbrown patterns.Pupa suturalis A. Adams, 1855Distribution : Indo-Pacific
