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Velutin Snail

Coriocella nigra

  • Molluscs
  • IUCN: Not evaluated
  • Usual depth1–31 m
  • Water temperature19–30 °C
  • Best monthsMarch, November, and December
  • How commonRare
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Photo credit: (c) Roger Rittmaster, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Coriocella nigra is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Velutinidae. An Indo-Pacific species, it lives on rocks at depths of up to 15 m. It is up to 10 cm long and has an internal shell; body color is black or brown. C. nigra is probably a predator of tunicates.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Coriocella nigra”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

  • January: 37 records
  • February: 46 records
  • March: 61 records
  • April: 36 records
  • May: 34 records
  • June: 26 records
  • July: 38 records
  • August: 30 records
  • September: 34 records
  • October: 34 records
  • November: 55 records
  • December: 48 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 1–31 m · Deepest record: 42.7 m

  • 0–10 m: 7 records
  • 10–20 m: 7 records
  • 20–30 m: 1 records
  • 30–40 m: 1 records
  • 40–50 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 19–30 °C

  • 18–20 °C: 1 records
  • 20–22 °C: 4 records
  • 22–24 °C: 10 records
  • 24–26 °C: 14 records
  • 26–28 °C: 9 records
  • 28–30 °C: 29 records

Names and classification

English
Velutin Snail
Names in 3 more languages
French
Coriocelle noire
Japanese
イボベッコウタマガイ
Simplified Chinese
黑環板螺

Other scientific names: Coriocella mauritiana, Lamellaria (Coriocella) nigra, Lamellaria mauritiana, Lamellaria nigra, Marsenia (Chelyonotus) mauritiana

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

  • Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
  • Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
  • Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
  • 162 open-data records from 1957 to 2014.
  • Species data updated October 26, 2026.

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