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- Octopus, squid and cuttlefish - Class Cephalopoda
- Chambered Nautilus
- Nautilus macromphalus
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- Poison Ocellate Octopus - Octopus mototi
- White-striped Octopus - Octopus ornatus
- Pale Octopus - Octopus pallidus
- Southern Blue-lined Octopus - Hapalochaena fasciata
- Common Sydney Octopus – Octopus tetricus
- Spongetip Octopus - Eledone palari
- Hammer Octopus - Octopus australis
- Southern Keeled Octopus - Octopus berrima
- Veined Octopus - Octopus marginatus
- Slender Cuttlefish – Sepia braggi Verco, 1907
- Hedley’s cuttlefish – Sepia hedleyi Berry 1918
- Reaper Cuttlefish – Sepia mestus Gray, 1849
- Magnificent Cuttlefish – Sepia opipara (Iredale, 1926)
- Papuan Cuttlefish – Sepia papuensis Hoyle, 1885
- Mourning Cuttlefish – Sepia plangon Gray, 1849
- Rosecone Cuttlefish – Sepia rozella (Iredale, 1926)
- Whitley's Cuttlefish – Sepia whitleyana (Iredale, 1926)
- Giant Cuttlefish - Sepia apama Gray, 1849
- Smith's Cuttlefish – Sepia smithi Hoyle, 1885
- Knifebone cuttlefish – Sepia cultrata Hoyle, 1885
- Ken's Cuttlefish – Sepia grahami Reid, 2001
- Ram's Horn Squid – Spirula spirula (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Southern Giant Squid – Architeuthis sanctipauli
- Big bottom bobtail squid – Austrorossia australis Berry, 1918
- Luminous Flying Squid – Eucleoteuthis luminosa Sasaki, 1915
- Southern Bobtail Squid – Euprymna tasmanica (Pfeffer, 1884)
- Southern Pygmy Squid – Idiosepius notoides Berry, 1921
- Joubin's Squid – Joubiniteuthis portiere (Joubin, 1912)
- Luminous Bay Squid – Loliolus noctiluca Lu, Roper & Tait, 1985
- Red Arrow Squid – Nototodarus gouldi (McCoy, 1888)
- Hawaiian Flying Squid – Nototodarus hawaiiensis (Berry, 1912)
- Pencil Squid – Photololigo etheridgei
- Southern Bottletail Squid – Sepiadarium austrinum Berry, 1921
- Striped Pyjama Squid – Sepioloidea lineolata (Quoy and Gaimard, 1832)
- Southern Calamari Squid – Sepioteuthis australis Quoy & Gaimard, 1832
- Bigfin Reef Squid – Sepioteuthis lessoniana Lesson, 1830
- Purpleback Flying Squid – Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis (Lesson, 1830)
- Diamondback Squid – Thysanoteuthis rhombus Troschel, 1857
- Molluscs in the Australian Museum Collections
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Wildlife of Sydney
- Wildlife of Sydney
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- What are spiders?
- Bird-dropping spider, Celaenia excavata
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- Common Stingaree, Trygonoptera testacea Müller & Henle, 1841
- Eastern Shovelnose Ray, Aptychotrema rostrata (Shaw & Nodder, 1794)
- Greynurse Shark, Carcharias taurus Rafinesque, 1810
- Port Jackson Shark, Heterodontus portusjacksoni (Meyer, 1793)
- Spotted Wobbegong, Orectolobus maculatus (Bonnaterre, 1788)
- White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Marine fishes
- Australian Mado, Atypichthys strigatus (Günther, 1860)
- Bigbelly Seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis Lesson, 1827
- Blacktip Bullseye at South Solitary Island
- Eastern Blue Devil, Paraplesiops bleekeri
- Eastern Blue Groper, Achoerodus viridis (Steindachner, 1866)
- Eastern Frogfish, Batrachomoeus dubius (White, 1790)
- Eastern Wirrah, Acanthistius ocellatus (Günther, 1859)
- Fanbelly Leatherjacket, Monacanthus chinensis (Isbeck, 1765)
- Fortescue, Centropogon australis (White, 1790)
- John Dory, Zeus faber Linnaeus, 1758
- Luderick, Girella tricuspidata (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
- Mulloway, Argyrosomus japonicus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1844)
- Old Wife, Enoplosus armatus (White, 1790)
- Peppered Sole, Aseraggodes sp
- Pineapplefish, Cleidopus gloriamaris De Vis, 1882
- Red Indianfish, Pataecus fronto Richardson, 1844
- Red Morwong, Cheilodactylus fuscus (Castelnau, 1879)
- Eastern Red Scorpionfish, Scorpaena jacksoniensis Steindachner 1866
- Sand Whiting, Sillago ciliata Cuvier, 1829
- Sergeant Baker, Hime purpurissatus Richardson, 1843
- Common Silverbiddy, Gerres subfasciatus (Cuvier, 1830)
- Snapper, Pagrus auratus
- Sydney Cardinalfish, Apogon limenus (Randall & Hoese, 1988)
- Trumpetfish, Aulostomus chinensis (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Lacépède, 1804)
- White's Seahorse, Hippocampus whitei Bleeker, 1855
- Molluscs
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ANIMAL SPECIES:Violet Snail
The Violet Snail is sometimes found washed ashore, particularly during summer in Sydney.
Identification
The Violet Snail is a pretty purple colour and is sometimes found washed ashore.
Size range
3 cmDistribution
The Violet Snail is found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and eastern Tasmania. Widespread overseas in Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans in tropical and subtropical waters.
Habitat
The Violet Snail lives in oceans and coastal waters.
Behaviour and adaptations
Feeding and Diet
The Violet Snail manages to float by producing its own mucus-covered bubble raft, and feeding on floating cnidarians such as Blue Bottles (Physalia physalis) and By-the-wind Sailors (Velella velella).
Other behaviours and adaptations
Most of the Violet Snail's life is spent floating on the ocean surface at the mercy of the winds.
Life cycle
The Violet Snail broods its young and releases the miniature adults directly into the sea. All offspring begin life as male and later transform into females.
Classification
- Species:
- janthina
- Genus:
- Janthina
- Family:
- Janthinidae
- Class:
- Gastropoda
- Phylum:
- Mollusca
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
Last Updated: 5 January 2010
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Violet Snail with bubble float View full size
Dr Isobel Bennett
© Australian Museum
Violet Snails washed ashore View full size
Dr Isobel Bennett
© Australian Museum
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