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Stellaria Testigera
''Stellaria testigera'', common name finger carrier shell, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Xenophoridae, the carrier shells. Subspecies * ''Stellaria testigera profunda'' Ponder, 1983 * ''Stellaria testigera digitata'' Martens, 1878 Distribution ''Stellaria testigera profunda'' is present in the Gulf of Aden and in North East Africa, while ''Stellaria testigera digitata'' can be found in Senegal and Western Africa. Description Shells of ''Stellaria testigera profunda'' can reach a size of , while in ''Stellaria testigera digitata'' they can reach . These shells are characterized by the expanded peripherical flange, the presence of digitations and the smooth dorsal surface. Fossil record Fossils of ''Stellaria testigera'' are found in marine strata from the Miocene to Pliocene (age range: from 20.43 to 3.6 million years ago.). Fossils are known from Italy, Denmark and Slovakia. These mollusks lived in the Mediterranean and spread to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gastropod Shell
The gastropod shell is part of the body of a Gastropoda, gastropod or snail, a kind of mollusc. The shell is an exoskeleton, which protects from predators, mechanical damage, and dehydration, but also serves for muscle attachment and calcium storage. Some gastropods appear shell-less (slugs) but may have a remnant within the mantle, or in some cases the shell is reduced such that the body cannot be retracted within it (semi-slug). Some snails also possess an operculum that seals the opening of the shell, known as the Aperture (mollusc), aperture, which provides further protection. The study of mollusc shells is known as conchology. The biological study of gastropods, and other molluscs in general, is malacology. Shell morphology terms vary by species group. Shell layers The gastropod shell has three major layers secreted by the Mantle (mollusc), mantle. The calcareous central layer, tracum, is typically made of calcium carbonate precipitated into an organic matrix known as c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
