Pupa (gastropod)
Introduction '''''Pupa''''' is a  genus of small sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Acteonidae.The genus is named ''Pupa'' because the shell of these snails resemble an insect pupa in overall shape. The animal has a large headshield with a deep median slit, separating it into two posteriorly projecting lobes.
Species A shell of ''Pupa affinis''According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), the following species are included within the genus ''Pupa'':* ''Pupa affinis'' (Adams, 1854)** Distribution : South Africa, Red Sea, Indo-Pacific** Length : 11–20 mm** Description : cream-colored shell with horizontal spiraled patterns (dark brown, light brown or greenish) without dark borders; sharp apex* ''Pupa alveola'' (Souverbie, 1863)** Distribution : Indo-Pacific* ''Pupa coccinata'' Reeve, 1842 (considered by some to be a color form of ''Pupa strigosa'')** Distribution : Japan, tropical Indo-West Pacific** Length : 25 mm** Description : headshield flaps cover the opening of the mantle cavity; white-colored with many orange-red spots in spiraling bands* ''Pupa davisi'' Kilburn, 1975** Distribution: South Africa** Length : 12.5 mm** Description : cream-colored shell with sharp apex. * ''Pupa hyalina'' Verco, 1907* ''Pupa niecaensis'' Barnard, 1963* ''Pupa nitulida'' (Lamarck, 1816) '''Smooth pink pupa'''* ''Pupa pascuana'' Raines, 2002* ''Pupa pudica'' (Adams, 1854)** Distribution: Hawaii** Length : 7 mm** Description : pink-colored elongate shell, with spiral bands of lightbrown patterns. * † ''Pupa reticulata'' (Martin, 1884)* ''Pupa sekii'' Habe, 1958 * ''Pupa sinica'' Lin, 1989* ''Pupa solidula'' Linnaeus, 1758 '''Solid pupa'''* ''Pupa strigosa'' (Gould, 1859)* ''Pupa sulcata'' (Gmelin, 1791) '''Furrowed pupa'''** Distribution : cosmopolitan, tropical Indo-Pacific, Kermadec Islands, Japan** Length : 10–25 mm** Description : intertidal and up to depths of 30 m, burrowing in the sand; lightbrown shell with horizontal darker bands, where the darkest parts form a vertical band; sharp apex* ''Pupa suturalis'' (Adams, 1854)** Distribution : Indo-Pacific* ''Pupa tessellata'' (Reeve, 1842)* ''Pupa tragulata'' Iredale, 1936;Species brought into synonymy:* ''Pupa (Rictaxiella)'' Habe, 1958: synonym of ''Rictaxiella'' Habe, 1958* ''Pupa alba'' (Hutton, 1873): synonym of ''Abida bigerrensis'' (Moquin-Tandon, 1856)* ''Pupa amodesta'' Mighels, 1845: synonym of ''Pronesopupa amodesta'' (Mighels, 1845) (original combination)* ''Pupa bourguignati'' Deshayes, 1863 (original combination): synonym of ''Gonospira bourguignati'' (Deshayes, 1863)* ''Pupa bryanti'' L. Pfeiffer, 1867: synonym of ''Cerion rubicundum'' (Menke, 1829) (junior synonym)* ''Pupa choshiensis'' (Habe, 1958): synonym of ''Rictaxiella choshiensis'' Habe, 1958* ''Pupa cinerea'' Draparnaud, 1801: synonym of ''Solatopupa similis'' (Bruguière, 1792)* ''Pupa crassilabris'' G. B. Sowerby II, 1875: synonym of ''Cerion striatellum'' (Guerin-Méneville, 1829)* ''Pupa daedalea'' Deshayes, 1851: synonym of ''Plagiodontes daedaleus'' (Deshayes, 1851)* ''Pupa detrita'' L. Pfeiffer, 1854: synonym of ''Cerion incanum'' (Leidy, 1851)* ''Pupa flammea'' (Gmelin, 1791): synonym of ''Maxacteon flammeus'' (Bruguière, 1789)* ''Pupa fusus'' L. Pfeiffer, 1848: synonym of ''Gonospira palanga'' (Lesson, 1831)* ''Pupa gibba'' R. T. Lowe, 1852: synonym of ''Leiostyla gibba'' (R. T. Lowe, 1852) (original combination)* ''Pupa grisebla'' Röding, 1798: synonym of ''Pupa solidula'' (Linnaeus, 1758)* ''Pupa incana'' Leidy, 1851>: synonym of ''Cerion incanum'' (Leidy, 1851)* ''Pupa incrassata'' G. B. Sowerby II, 1878: synonym of ''Cerion incrassatum'' (G. B. Sowerby II, 1878) (original combination)* ''Pupa intersecta'' Deshayes, 1863: synonym of ''Gonospira bourguignati'' (Deshayes, 1863)* ''Pupa kirki'' (Hutton, 1873): synonym of ''Pupa affinis'' (A. Adams, 1855)* ''Pupa nivea'' (Angas, 1871)  synonym of ''Pupa affinis'' (A. Adams, 1855)* ''Pupa novoseelandica'' L. Pfeiffer, 1853: synonym of ''Phenacharopa novoseelandica'' (L. Pfeiffer, 1853)* ''Pupa palanga'' Lesson, 1831: synonym of ''Gonospira palanga'' (Lesson, 1831)* ''Pupa pusilla'' Des Moulins, 1835: synonym of ''Chondrina bigorriensis'' (Des Moulins, 1835)* ''Pupa roseomaculata'' Iredale, 1936: synonym of ''Pupa solidula'' (Linnaeus, 1758)* † ''Pupa starboroughensis'' L. C. King, 1934 : synonym of † ''Crenilabium starboroughense'' (L. C. King, 1934) * ''Pupa thaanumi'' Pilsbry, 1917: synonym of ''Pupa affinis'' (Adams, 1854)* ''Pupa turrita'' Anton, 1839: synonym of ''Clessinia striata'' (Spix, 1827) (junior synonym)* ''Pupa umbilicata'' Draparnaud, 1801: synonym of ''Lauria cylindracea'' (da Costa, 1778)* ''Pupa uvula'' Deshayes, 1863: synonym of ''Gonospira uvula'' (Deshayes, 1863) (original combination)* ''Pupa vermiculosa'' Morelet, 1860: synonym of ''Leiostyla vermiculosa'' (Morelet, 1860) (original combination)* ''Pupa versipolis'' L. Pfeiffer, 1841: synonym of ''Gonospira versipolis'' (L. Pfeiffer, 1841);Taxa inquirenda (use in recent literature currently undocumented):* ''Pupa dormeyeri'' G. B. Sowerby II, 1878* ''Pupa gracilis'' G. B. Sowerby I, 1834* ''Pupa maugeri'' G. B. Sowerby I, 1834 * ''Pupa ringens'' G. B. Sowerby II, 1878* ''Pupa zebra'' G. B. Sowerby II, 1875 The database Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database (OBIS) also includes the following names in current use :* ''Pupa acuta''* ''Pupa fraterculus''*'' Pupa insculpta''----* ''Pupa clathrata'' Yokoyama, 1922 ** Distribution : Japan''Pupa fumata''* ''Pupa fumata'' Gould, 1859 '''Brown Pupa'''** Distribution : tropical, Western Australia, Indo-Pacific** Length : 20 mm** Description : shell with spiral ribs; patterns of brown or gray spots on a cream-colored background; whorls separated by a white narrow band.
References * Higo, S., Callomon, P. & Goto, Y. (1999) ''Catalogue and Bibliography of the Marine Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Japan''. Elle Scientific Publications, Yao, Japan, 749 pp.
External links *   Röding, P.F. 1798. ''Museum Boltenianum sive Catalogus cimeliorum e tribus regnis naturae quae olim collegerat Joa''. Hamburg : Trappii 199 pp. *  Schumacher, C. F. (1817). Essai d'un nouveau système des habitations des vers testacés. Schultz, Copenghagen. iv + 288 pp., 22 pls* Powell A. W. B., ''New Zealand Mollusca'', William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 *  Photo*  Nomenclator Zoologicus info*