Species profile
Eastern Mudsnail
Ilyanassa obsoleta
At a glance
Eastern Mudsnail (Ilyanassa obsoleta) is a marine snail present across the CatchRules coverage area but without species-specific bag, size, or season rules tracked in our regulatory dataset.
Confirmed by 4,086 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with New York, California, and Massachusetts the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- Native to the Atlantic Coast, it has become an invasive species along the Pacific Coast.
- Dense colonies can pack thousands of individuals into a single square meter of mudflat.
- Shells typically grow to about one inch long, with a tightly coiled spiral shape.
- Scavenges on dead organic matter and algae, helping clean up estuarine mudflats.
- Serves as an intermediate host for multiple species of parasitic trematode flatworms.
Where Eastern Mudsnail are seen
Background
The eastern mudsnail, Tritia obsoleta, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the nassa mud snails. This species was previously known as Ilyanassa obsoleta.
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Eastern Mudsnail article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other marine snails (whelk/conch) on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.