‖ Nerita Zool.
(nɪˈraɪtə)
Pl. Neritæ, also -as.
[L. nērīta, ad. Gr. νηρίτης, νηρείτης sea-mussel, f. νηρεύς: see Nereid.]
A genus of gasteropod molluscs; a mollusc belonging to this genus.
The name was widely applied by Linnæus, but was subsequently restricted to a group typical of the family Neritidæ, having a thick globular shell with a small spire and semilunate aperture.
| 1748 J. Hill Hist. Fossils 648 The Neritæ are not unfrequent in many parts of England. 1845 W. Macgillivray Conchol. Text-bk. 58 The Shore Nerita. Ibid. 98 The Bloody-Tooth Nerita. 1859–63 J. G. Wood Nat. Hist. III. 388 The Neritas are all inhabitants of the warmer seas. |