CRITICAL REVIEW OF BIOLOGY AND CONTROL OF OYSTER DRILLS 



UROSALPINX AND EUPLEURA 



INTRODUCTION 



The oyster drill Urosalpimx cinerea (Say) is a small, slow-moving, 

 highly successful, highly specialized, predatory marine snail inhabiting the 

 coastal waters of North America and the British Isles. Because of its close 

 association with and ravage of young oysters it has attracted the attention of 

 oyster farmers for at least the last 100 years. Although the critical observa- 

 tions of oystermen and marine biologists during the last few decades have more 

 accurately demonstrated the high concentration, broad distribution, and unusual 

 destructiveness of this gastropod (Engie^ pers , com.), it probably became a ser- 

 ious pest, concurrently with the development of widespread transplantation and 

 cultivation of oysters Glancy (1953) states that it is one of the worst enemies of 

 the oyster, and blames the steady decline in oyster-meat production in the United 

 States from 231 million pounds in 1910 to 77 million pounds in 1950 in large 

 measure to the depredations of this drill Stauber (1943) suggests that in addi- 

 tion to the evident destructiveness of the drill, a selective elimination of the 

 faster growing, thinner shelled oysters may be taking place, resulting in an 

 increasing proportion of thicker shelled, slower growing, less desirable 

 oysters - 



It thus seems appropriate at this time critically to evaluate the informa- 

 tion available on the biology and control of U. cinerea The material presented 

 in this synthesis has been assembled from numerous published and unpublished 

 reports and personal communications through the generous cooperation of many 

 persons and brings into bold relief the many voids in our knowledge of this 

 mollusk . 



Further research on the morphology, physiology, and ecology of this 

 gastropod will be facilitated by the fact that it is available in astronomic 

 quantities in a wide variety of habitats in the coastal regions of two continents, 

 is markedly adaptable to new environments, is tolerant of a broad range of 

 environmental factors, is relatively immune to predation and parasitization by 

 other organisms, and is easily maintained in the laboratory. 



