Amalda is a genus of medium-sized sea snails, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Ancillariidae, the olives and allies.Bouchet, P. (2014). Amalda H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=390993 on 2015-01-18
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.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
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 distributions—such 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)—such broad distributions should be interpreted with caution. Yuri I. Kantor, Magalie Castelin, Alexander Fedosov, Philippe Bouchet (2020), The Indo-Pacific Amalda (Neogastropoda, Olivoidea, Ancillariidae) revisited with molecular data, with special emphasis on New Caledonia; European Journal of Taxonomy, [S.l.], n. 706, aug. 2020. ISSN 2118-9773
Species
Species within the genus Amalda include:WoRMS : Amalda; accessed : 27 October 2010
† Amalda abessensis Lozouet, 1992 Amalda abyssicola Schepman, 1911 Amalda acuta Ninomiya, 1991 † Amalda acutapex Raven & Recourt, 2018 † Amalda adelaidensis (Ludbrook, 1958) Amalda alabaster Kantor, Castelin, Fedosov & Bouchet, 2020 Amalda albanyensis Ninomiya, 1987 Amalda albocallosa (Lischke, 1873) † Amalda allani (Olson, 1956) Amalda allaryi Bozetti, 2007 Amalda angustata (G.B. Sowerby II, 1859) † Amalda anomala (Schlotheim, 1820) † Amalda arenaria (Cossmann, 1889) † Amalda aturensis (Peyrot, 1928) † Amalda auberi Chavan, 1965 Amalda aureocallosa Shikama & Oishi, 1977 Amalda aureomarginata Kilburn & Bouchet, 1988 Amalda aureus Ninomiya, 1990 Amalda australis (G.B. Sowerby I, 1830) Amalda bathamae (Dell, 1956) Amalda beachportensis (Verco, 1909) Amalda bellonarum Kilburn & Bouchet, 1988 Amalda benthicola (Dell, 1956) † Amalda bibhae Banerjee & Halder, 2024 Amalda booleyi (Melvill & Sykes, 1896) Amalda borshengi Lan & Lee, 2002 † Amalda brevicula (Marwick, 1931) † Amalda bruneiana Harzhauser, Raven & Landau, 2018 Amalda bulbosa Ninomiya, 1991 Amalda bullioides (Reeve, 1864) Amalda cacao Kantor, Castelin, Fedosov & Bouchet, 2020 † Amalda cincta (P. Marshall, 1918) † Amalda cingulata (Olson, 1956) Amalda coccinata Kilburn, 1980 Amalda coenobium Ninomiya, 1991 Amalda colemani Ninomiya, 1991 Amalda concinna Ninomiya, 1990 Amalda contusa (Reeve, 1864) Amalda coriolis Kilburn & Bouchet, 1988 Amalda crosnieri Kilburn, 1977 Amalda cupedula Kilburn, 1993 Amalda danilai Kilburn, 1996 Amalda decipiens (G. B. Sowerby III, 1897) Amalda degalleaniae Cossignani, 2018 Amalda depressa (G.B. Sowerby II, 1859) Amalda dimidiata (G.B. Sowerby II, 1859) † Amalda dubia (Deshayes, 1830) Amalda edgariana Schepman, 1911 Amalda edithae (Pritchard & Gabriel, 1898) † Amalda elongata (Deshayes, 1830) † Amalda exsputa (Bartrum & Powell, 1928) Amalda fasciata Ninomiya, 1991 Amalda festiva Ninomiya, 1991 Amalda fuscolingua Kilburn & Bouchet, 1988 Amalda gabelishi Ninomiya, 1988 † Amalda garsensis Lozouet, 2011 † Amalda gigartoides (Olson, 1956) † Amalda glandiformis (Lamarck, 1811) † Amalda gobanus Vrinat, 2025 † Amalda gulosa (C. A. Fleming, 1943) Amalda harasewychi Thach, 2016 Amalda hayashii Ninomiya, 1988 Amalda herberti Cossignani, 2013 Amalda hilgendorfi (Martens, 1897) Amalda hinomotoensis (Yokoyama, 1922) † Amalda ivrigleyi (Chavan & M. Fischer, 1939) Amalda jenneri Kilburn, 1977 Amalda josecarlosi Pastorino, 2003 Amalda lactea T. Kuroda, 1960 Amalda lematrei Kilburn, 1977 † Amalda ligata (Tate, 1889) Amalda lindae Kilburn, 1993 Amalda lineata (Kiener, 1844) Amalda lochii Ninomiya, 1990 † Amalda macbeathi (Vella, 1954) † Amalda malacitana Vera-Peláez, 2022 Amalda mamillata (Hinds, 1844) Amalda marginata (Lamarck, 1811) Amalda mirabelflorenti Cossignani, 2018 † Amalda miriensis Raven & Recourt, 2018 Amalda miriky Kantor, Castelin, Fedosov & Bouchet, 2020 Amalda monilifera (Reeve, 1864) Amalda montrouzieri (Souverby, 1860) † Amalda morgani (R. S. Allan, 1926) Amalda mozambicana Rosado & Monteiro, 2023 Amalda mucronata (G.B. Sowerby I, 1830) Amalda nitidanosum Ninomiya, 1991 Amalda northlandica (Hart, 1995) Amalda novaezelandiae (G.B. Sowerby II, 1859) Amalda obesa (G.B. Sowerby II, 1859) Amalda oblonga (G.B. Sowerby I, 1830) † Amalda obsoleta (Brocchi, 1814) Amalda obtusa (Swainson, 1825) † Amalda olivula (Lamarck, 1803) † Amalda olsoni Beu, 1970 † Amalda opima (Marwick, 1924) Amalda optima (G.B. Sowerby III, 1897) † Amalda oraria (Olson, 1956) Amalda ornata Ninomiya, 1988 Amalda otohime Majima, Tsuchida & Oshima, 1993 † Amalda ovalis Beu, 1970 Amalda pacei Petuch, 1987 † Amalda pakaurangiensis (Olson, 1956) Amalda parentalis Shikama & Oishi, 1977 † Amalda patula (Bellardi, 1882) Amalda petterdi (Tate, 1893) Amalda pinguis Ninomiya, 1991 † Amalda platycephala (Powell & Bartrum, 1929) † Amalda pliopenis Vera-Peláez, 2022 Amalda ponderi Ninomiya, 1991 † Amalda pristina (Olson, 1956) Amalda procera Ninomiya, 1991 Amalda pullarium Ninomiya, 1991 Amalda raoulensis Powell, 1967 Amalda reevei (E.A. Smith, 1904) † Amalda rimuensis (Olson, 1956) † Amalda robusta (Marwick, 1924) Amalda roscoae Kilburn, 1975 Amalda rottnestensis Ninomiya, 1991 Amalda rubiginosa (Swainson, 1823) Amalda rubrofasciata Ninomiya, 1991 † Amalda schmidti (Beets, 1984) Amalda scopuloceti Kilburn, 1993 † Amalda semilaevis (Tenison Woods, 1879) Amalda similis (G.B. Sowerby II, 1859) Amalda sinensis (G.B. Sowerby II, 1859) Amalda soseitae Poppe & Tagaro, 2026 Amalda southlandica (Fleming, 1948) † Amalda spinigera (P. Marshall, 1918) † Amalda stortha (Olson, 1956) † Amalda subampliata (Tate, 1889) † Amalda subgradata (Tate, 1889) † Amalda subulata (Lamarck, 1803) Amalda tankervillii (Swainson, 1825) Amalda telaaraneae Kilburn, 1993 Amalda tenuis Ninomiya, 1991 † Amalda tholiculus (Marwick, 1931) Amalda tindalli (Melvill, 1898) † Amalda tirangiensis (Marwick, 1926) Amalda trachyzonus Kilburn, 1975 Amalda trippneri Kilburn, 1996 Amalda turgida Ninomiya, 1990 Amalda utopicaNinomiya, 1987 Amalda venezuela Weisbord, 1962 Amalda vernedei (G.B. Sowerby II, 1859) Amalda virginea Ninomiya, 1990 † Amalda waikaiaensis (Finlay, 1926) † Amalda wairarapaensis (Olson, 1956) Amalda whatmoughi Kilburn, 1993
Species brought into synonymy Amalda albicallosa [sic]: synonym of Amalda albocallosa (Lischke, 1873) Amalda ampla (Gmelin, 1791): synonym of Ancilla ampla (Gmelin, 1791) † Amalda buccinoides (Lamarck, 1803): synonym of † Spirancilla buccinoides (Lamarck, 1803) Amalda callifera Thiele, 1925: synonym of Amalda reevei (E.A. Smith, 1904) Amalda dyspetes (Iredale, 1924): synonym of Amalda marginata (Lamarck, 1811) Amalda elongata (Gray, 1874): synonym of Ancillista muscae (Pilsbry, 1926) Amalda errorum Tomlin, 1921: synonym of Amalda angustata (G.B. Sowerby II, 1859) Amalda fusiformis (Petterdi, 1886): synonym of Amalda petterdi (Tate, 1893) (invalid: not J. Sowerby, 1850) Amalda hayashi Ninomiya, 1988: synonym of Amalda rubiginosa (Swainson, 1823) Amalda lanceolata Ninomiya, 1991: synonym of Amalda petterdi (Tate, 1893) (junior subjective synonym) † Amalda lanceolata (Tate, 1889): synonym of † Baryspira lanceolata (Tate, 1889) (superseded combination) Amalda maritzae Bozzetti, 2007: synonym of Amalda allaryi Bozzetti, 2007 (uncertain synonym) Amalda procerum Ninomiya, 1991: synonym of Amalda procera Ninomiya, 1991 Amalda siberutensis Thiele, 1925: synonym of Ancilla siberutensis Thiele, 1925 Amalda sibuetae Kantor & Bouchet, 1999: synonym of Turrancilla sibuetae (Kantor & Bouchet, 1999) (original combination) Amalda sidneyensis Ninomiya, 1991: synonym of Amalda edithae (Pritchard & Gatliff, 1899) (junior subjective synonym) Amalda tankervillei (Swainson, 1825): synonym of Amalda tankervillii (Swainson, 1825) Amalda virgineus Ninomiya, 1990: synonym of Amalda virginea Ninomiya, 1990 Amalda zeigleri Ninomiya, 1987: synonym of Amalda pacei Petuch, 1987
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), 1–256 (1853), 257–484 (1854). Vol. 2: 1-92 (1854), 93–284 (1855), 285–412 (1856), 413–540 (1857), 541–661 (1858). Vol. 3: pl. 1-32 (1853), 33–96 (1855), 97–112 (1856), 113–128 (1857), 129–138 (1858) Morgan-Richards (2019) Punctuated equilibrium in New Zealand.