Babylonia japonica
Two live but retracted individuals of Babylonia japonica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Family: Babyloniidae
Genus: Babylonia
Species:
B. japonica
Binomial name
Babylonia japonica
(Reeve, 1842)
Synonyms
  • Eburna japonica Reeve, 1842 (original combination)

Babylonia japonica, common name the Japanese Babylon or Japanese ivory shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Babyloniidae.[1]

Distribution

This marine species occurs off Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

Description

Babylonia japonica shell.

The length of the shell varies between 40 mm and 85 mm.

The ground color of the shell is white. The outer whorl has two rows of brown blotches among rows of fine spots. The pattern is similar to that of Babylonia zeylanica and B. spirata, but B. japonica has smaller and more numerous spots.

In life, this shell is covered by a brown or tan periostracum.

Human use

Babylonia japonica for sale at a fishmarket in Japan.

Although this species is generally considered edible for humans, it is known to bioaccumulate toxins under certain conditions, namely the surugatoxin family, which causes blockage of autonomic ganglia, and tetrodotoxin (pufferfish toxin). In September 1965 a food poisoning outbreak occurred after ingestion of this species from Suruga Bay. The symptoms largely corresponded to ganglionic blockage, with parasympathetic dysfunction being more common than sympathetic dysfunction.[2][3]

References

  1. ↑ Babylonia japonica (Reeve, 1842). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 5 May 2015.
  2. ↑ Hayashi, E; Yamada, S (February 1975). "Pharmacological studies on surugatoxin, the toxic principle from Japanese ivory mollusc (Babylonia japonica)". British Journal of Pharmacology. 53 (2): 207–215. doi:10.1111/j.1476-5381.1975.tb07350.x. PMC 1666298. PMID 238699.
  3. ↑ Noguchi, Tamao; Maruyama, Junichi; Ueda, Yoichi; Hashimoto, Kanehisa; Harada, Tetsuzo (1981). "Occurrence of tetrodotoxin in the Japanese ivory shell, Babylonia japonica". Bulletin of the Japanese Society of Scientific Fisheries. 47 (7): 909–914. doi:10.2331/suisan.47.909.
  • Fraussen K. & Stratmann D. (2013) The family Babyloniidae. In: G.T. Poppe & K. Groh (eds), A conchological iconography. Harxheim: Conchbooks. 96 pp., pls 1-48.

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