Amalda is a genus of medium-sized sea snails, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Ancillariidae, the olives and allies.
Description
The thin shell is not umbilicated. The spire is elongated with the suture enamelled. The primary spire callus covers most of the spire, including at least part of the protoconch, leaving in most cases only the first protoconch whorl exposed. The inner lip has the callus moderate, defined. The outer lip is simple.
Distribution
These snails usually live in the sand in fairly shallow water in tropical and temperate regions of the world with a particularly rich fauna in Australia and the Indo-West Pacific. Most species are predators of marine bivalves.
In general, both shallow and deep-water species of Amalda tend to have relatively narrow distribution ranges within the Indo-Pacific, where local faunas are often dominated by narrow endemics, particularly in South Africa and, to a lesser extent, Australia. While some species exhibit broader distributionsâÂÂsuch as A. hinomotoensis, found from Japan to Taiwan, and A. mamillata, present in regions including Indonesia, the Strait of Malacca, Vietnam, and the China Seas (Gratecap 2016b)âÂÂsuch broad distributions should be interpreted with caution.
Species
Species within the genus Amalda include:
- â Amalda abessensis <small>Lozouet, 1992</small>
- Amalda abyssicola <small>Schepman, 1911</small>
- Amalda acuta <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- â Amalda acutapex <small>Raven & Recourt, 2018</small>
- â Amalda adelaidensis <small>(Ludbrook, 1958)</small>
- Amalda alabaster <small>Kantor, Castelin, Fedosov & Bouchet, 2020</small>
- Amalda albanyensis <small>Ninomiya, 1987</small>
- Amalda albocallosa <small>(Lischke, 1873)</small>
- â Amalda allani <small>(Olson, 1956)</small>
- Amalda allaryi <small>Bozetti, 2007</small>
- Amalda angustata <small>(G.B. Sowerby II, 1859)</small>
- â Amalda anomala <small>(Schlotheim, 1820)</small>
- â Amalda arenaria <small>(Cossmann, 1889)</small>
- â Amalda aturensis <small>(Peyrot, 1928)</small>
- â Amalda auberi <small>Chavan, 1965</small>
- Amalda aureocallosa <small>Shikama & Oishi, 1977</small>
- Amalda aureomarginata <small>Kilburn & Bouchet, 1988</small>
- Amalda aureus <small>Ninomiya, 1990</small>
- Amalda australis <small>(G.B. Sowerby I, 1830)</small>
- Amalda bathamae <small>(Dell, 1956)</small>
- Amalda beachportensis <small>(Verco, 1909)</small>
- Amalda bellonarum <small>Kilburn & Bouchet, 1988</small>
- Amalda benthicola <small>(Dell, 1956)</small>
- â Amalda bibhae <small>Banerjee & Halder, 2024</small>
- Amalda booleyi <small>(Melvill & Sykes, 1896)</small>
- Amalda borshengi <small>Lan & Lee, 2002</small>
- â Amalda brevicula <small>(Marwick, 1931)</small>
- â Amalda bruneiana <small>Harzhauser, Raven & Landau, 2018</small>
- Amalda bulbosa <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- Amalda bullioides <small>(Reeve, 1864)</small>
- Amalda cacao <small>Kantor, Castelin, Fedosov & Bouchet, 2020</small>
- â Amalda cincta <small>(P. Marshall, 1918)</small>
- â Amalda cingulata <small>(Olson, 1956)</small>
- Amalda coccinata <small>Kilburn, 1980</small>
- Amalda coenobium <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- Amalda colemani <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- Amalda concinna <small>Ninomiya, 1990</small>
- Amalda contusa <small>(Reeve, 1864)</small>
- Amalda coriolis <small>Kilburn & Bouchet, 1988</small>
- Amalda crosnieri <small>Kilburn, 1977</small>
- Amalda cupedula <small>Kilburn, 1993</small>
- Amalda danilai <small>Kilburn, 1996</small>
- Amalda decipiens <small>(G. B. Sowerby III, 1897)</small>
- Amalda degalleaniae <small>Cossignani, 2018</small>
- Amalda depressa <small>(G.B. Sowerby II, 1859)</small>
- Amalda dimidiata <small>(G.B. Sowerby II, 1859)</small>
- â Amalda dubia <small>(Deshayes, 1830)</small>
- Amalda edgariana <small>Schepman, 1911</small>
- Amalda edithae <small>(Pritchard & Gabriel, 1898)</small>
- â Amalda elongata <small>(Deshayes, 1830)</small>
- â Amalda exsputa <small>(Bartrum & Powell, 1928)</small>
- Amalda fasciata <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- Amalda festiva <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- Amalda fuscolingua <small>Kilburn & Bouchet, 1988</small>
- Amalda gabelishi <small>Ninomiya, 1988</small>
- â Amalda garsensis <small>Lozouet, 2011</small>
- â Amalda gigartoides <small>(Olson, 1956)</small>
- â Amalda glandiformis <small>(Lamarck, 1811)</small>
- â Amalda gobanus <small>Vrinat, 2025</small>
- â Amalda gulosa <small>(C. A. Fleming, 1943)</small>
- Amalda harasewychi <small>Thach, 2016</small>
- Amalda hayashii <small>Ninomiya, 1988</small>
- Amalda herberti <small>Cossignani, 2013</small>
- Amalda hilgendorfi <small>(Martens, 1897)</small>
- Amalda hinomotoensis <small>(Yokoyama, 1922)</small>
- â Amalda ivrigleyi <small>(Chavan & M. Fischer, 1939)</small>
- Amalda jenneri <small>Kilburn, 1977</small>
- Amalda josecarlosi <small>Pastorino, 2003</small>
- Amalda lactea <small>T. Kuroda, 1960</small>
- Amalda lematrei <small>Kilburn, 1977</small>
- â Amalda ligata <small>(Tate, 1889)</small>
- Amalda lindae <small>Kilburn, 1993</small>
- Amalda lineata <small>(Kiener, 1844)</small>
- Amalda lochii <small>Ninomiya, 1990</small>
- â Amalda macbeathi <small>(Vella, 1954)</small>
- â Amalda malacitana <small>Vera-Peláez, 2022</small>
- Amalda mamillata <small>(Hinds, 1844)</small>
- Amalda marginata <small>(Lamarck, 1811)</small>
- Amalda mirabelflorenti <small>Cossignani, 2018</small>
- â Amalda miriensis <small>Raven & Recourt, 2018</small>
- Amalda miriky <small>Kantor, Castelin, Fedosov & Bouchet, 2020</small>
- Amalda monilifera <small>(Reeve, 1864)</small>
- Amalda montrouzieri <small>(Souverby, 1860)</small>
- â Amalda morgani <small>(R. S. Allan, 1926)</small>
- Amalda mozambicana <small>Rosado & Monteiro, 2023</small>
- Amalda mucronata <small>(G.B. Sowerby I, 1830)</small>
- Amalda nitidanosum <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- Amalda northlandica <small>(Hart, 1995)</small>
- Amalda novaezelandiae <small>(G.B. Sowerby II, 1859)</small>
- Amalda obesa <small>(G.B. Sowerby II, 1859)</small>
- Amalda oblonga <small>(G.B. Sowerby I, 1830)</small>
- â Amalda obsoleta <small>(Brocchi, 1814)</small>
- Amalda obtusa <small>(Swainson, 1825)</small>
- â Amalda olivula <small>(Lamarck, 1803)</small>
- â Amalda olsoni <small>Beu, 1970</small>
- â Amalda opima <small>(Marwick, 1924)</small>
- Amalda optima <small>(G.B. Sowerby III, 1897)</small>
- â Amalda oraria <small>(Olson, 1956)</small>
- Amalda ornata <small>Ninomiya, 1988</small>
- Amalda otohime <small>Majima, Tsuchida & Oshima, 1993</small>
- â Amalda ovalis <small>Beu, 1970</small>
- Amalda pacei <small>Petuch, 1987</small>
- â Amalda pakaurangiensis <small>(Olson, 1956)</small>
- Amalda parentalis <small>Shikama & Oishi, 1977</small>
- â Amalda patula <small>(Bellardi, 1882)</small>
- Amalda petterdi <small>(Tate, 1893)</small>
- Amalda pinguis <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- â Amalda platycephala <small>(Powell & Bartrum, 1929)</small>
- â Amalda pliopenis <small>Vera-Peláez, 2022</small>
- Amalda ponderi <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- â Amalda pristina <small>(Olson, 1956)</small>
- Amalda procera <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- Amalda pullarium <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- Amalda raoulensis <small>Powell, 1967</small>
- Amalda reevei <small>(E.A. Smith, 1904)</small>
- â Amalda rimuensis <small>(Olson, 1956)</small>
- â Amalda robusta <small>(Marwick, 1924)</small>
- Amalda roscoae <small>Kilburn, 1975</small>
- Amalda rottnestensis <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- Amalda rubiginosa <small>(Swainson, 1823)</small>
- Amalda rubrofasciata <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- â Amalda schmidti <small>(Beets, 1984)</small>
- Amalda scopuloceti <small>Kilburn, 1993</small>
- â Amalda semilaevis <small>(Tenison Woods, 1879)</small>
- Amalda similis <small>(G.B. Sowerby II, 1859)</small>
- Amalda sinensis <small>(G.B. Sowerby II, 1859)</small>
- Amalda soseitae <small>Poppe & Tagaro, 2026</small>
- Amalda southlandica <small>(Fleming, 1948)</small>
- â Amalda spinigera <small>(P. Marshall, 1918)</small>
- â Amalda stortha <small>(Olson, 1956)</small>
- â Amalda subampliata <small>(Tate, 1889)</small>
- â Amalda subgradata <small>(Tate, 1889)</small>
- â Amalda subulata <small>(Lamarck, 1803)</small>
- Amalda tankervillii <small>(Swainson, 1825)</small>
- Amalda telaaraneae <small>Kilburn, 1993</small>
- Amalda tenuis <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- â Amalda tholiculus <small>(Marwick, 1931)</small>
- Amalda tindalli <small>(Melvill, 1898)</small>
- â Amalda tirangiensis <small>(Marwick, 1926)</small>
- Amalda trachyzonus <small>Kilburn, 1975</small>
- Amalda trippneri <small>Kilburn, 1996</small>
- Amalda turgida <small>Ninomiya, 1990</small>
- Amalda utopica<small>Ninomiya, 1987</small>
- Amalda venezuela <small>Weisbord, 1962</small>
- Amalda vernedei <small>(G.B. Sowerby II, 1859)</small>
- Amalda virginea <small>Ninomiya, 1990</small>
- â Amalda waikaiaensis <small>(Finlay, 1926)</small>
- â Amalda wairarapaensis <small>(Olson, 1956)</small>
- Amalda whatmoughi <small>Kilburn, 1993</small>
Species brought into synonymy
- Amalda albicallosa [sic]: synonym of Amalda albocallosa <small>(Lischke, 1873)</small>
- Amalda ampla <small>(Gmelin, 1791)</small>: synonym of Ancilla ampla <small>(Gmelin, 1791)</small>
- â Amalda buccinoides <small>(Lamarck, 1803)</small>: synonym of â Spirancilla buccinoides <small>(Lamarck, 1803)</small>
- Amalda callifera <small>Thiele, 1925</small>: synonym of Amalda reevei <small>(E.A. Smith, 1904)</small>
- Amalda dyspetes <small>(Iredale, 1924)</small>: synonym of Amalda marginata <small>(Lamarck, 1811)</small>
- Amalda elongata <small>(Gray, 1874)</small>: synonym of Ancillista muscae <small>(Pilsbry, 1926)</small>
- Amalda errorum <small>Tomlin, 1921</small>: synonym of Amalda angustata <small>(G.B. Sowerby II, 1859)</small>
- Amalda fusiformis <small>(Petterdi, 1886)</small>: synonym of Amalda petterdi <small>(Tate, 1893)</small> (invalid: not J. Sowerby, 1850)
- Amalda hayashi <small>Ninomiya, 1988</small>: synonym of Amalda rubiginosa <small>(Swainson, 1823)</small>
- Amalda lanceolata <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>: synonym of Amalda petterdi (Tate, 1893) (junior subjective synonym)
- â Amalda lanceolata <small>(Tate, 1889)</small>: synonym of â Baryspira lanceolata <small>(Tate, 1889)</small> (superseded combination)
- Amalda maritzae <small>Bozzetti, 2007</small>: synonym of Amalda allaryi <small>Bozzetti, 2007</small> (uncertain synonym)
- Amalda procerum <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>: synonym of Amalda procera <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>
- Amalda siberutensis <small>Thiele, 1925</small>: synonym of Ancilla siberutensis <small>Thiele, 1925</small>
- Amalda sibuetae <small>Kantor & Bouchet, 1999</small>: synonym of Turrancilla sibuetae <small>(Kantor & Bouchet, 1999)</small> (original combination)
- Amalda sidneyensis <small>Ninomiya, 1991</small>: synonym of Amalda edithae <small>(Pritchard & Gatliff, 1899)</small> (junior subjective synonym)
- Amalda tankervillei <small>(Swainson, 1825)</small>: synonym of Amalda tankervillii <small>(Swainson, 1825)</small>
- Amalda virgineus <small>Ninomiya, 1990</small>: synonym of Amalda virginea <small>Ninomiya, 1990</small>
- Amalda zeigleri <small>Ninomiya, 1987</small>: synonym of Amalda pacei <small>Petuch, 1987</small>
References
Further reading
- Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979
- Kilburn, R.N. & Bouchet, P. 1988. The genus Amalda in New Caledonia (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Olividae, Ancillinae). Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Paris 4 10: 277-300
- Wilson, B. 1994. Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods. Kallaroo, WA : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 2 370 pp.
External links
- Gray, J. E. (1857). Guide to the Systematic Distribution of Mollusca in the British Museum. Part. I. London pp. XII. 230: pp
- Adams H. & Adams A. (1853-1858). The genera of Recent Mollusca; arranged according to their organization. London, van Voorst. Vol. 1: xl + 484 pp.; vol. 2: 661 pp.; vol. 3: 138 pls. [Published in parts: Vol. 1: i-xl (1858), 1âÂÂ256 (1853), 257âÂÂ484 (1854). Vol. 2: 1-92 (1854), 93âÂÂ284 (1855), 285âÂÂ412 (1856), 413âÂÂ540 (1857), 541âÂÂ661 (1858). Vol. 3: pl. 1-32 (1853), 33âÂÂ96 (1855), 97âÂÂ112 (1856), 113âÂÂ128 (1857), 129âÂÂ138 (1858)
- Morgan-Richards (2019) Punctuated equilibrium in New Zealand.