SOLITARY ISLANDS
UNDERWATER
RESEARCH GROUP, INC.

Species Index

Dacosta australis
(Sowerby, 1829)

Common Name: Watering Pot Shell

Distribution: Possibly common in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Known from the coastal north of Western Australia and coastal New South Wales.

Ecological Notes: Specimen pictured discovered on an intertidal rocky reef.

Additional Notes: Lives in a hole bored by chemical means in calcareous substrate, the tube formed by the calcium carbonate removed. Juvenile shells possess characteristics of other bivalve shells. Grows to tube length of at least 21 cm.

References: Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=Dacosta+australis. Accessed 05/11/2018.

The evolution of Watering Pot Shells (Bivalvia: Anomelodesmata, Clavegellidae and Penicillidae) Author(s) Brian Morton
Volume Records 24 : Part 1, Article Published 2007, Page Number 19. Western Australian Museum.