Anatomy and Biology of Mitra Cornea Lamarck, 1811 (mollusca, Caenogastropoda, Mitridae) from the Azores

Mitra cornea Lamarck, 1811, a member of the taxonomically complex group of small brown miters, is described anatomically, including observations on shell ultrastructure and diet. Morphological features confirm its taxonomic placement within the genus Mitra, and indicate a closer relationship with the western African Mitra nigra than with the Mediterranean Mitra cornicula. Mitra cornea shares the morphological adaptations of the anterior alimentary system that have evolved in conjunction with a specialized sipunculan diet, and that appear to be fairly uniform within the Mitrinae. Studies on the composition and pharmacological effects of the secretions of the salivary glands and hypobranchial gland are needed to better interpret the origin and evolutionary pathways that gave rise to the extreme trophic specialization of the Mitridae.