''Admetula cornidei'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of sea snail, a marine gastropod

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Cancellariidae, the nutmeg snails.

Description

The size of the thin, ovately oblong shell varies between 9 mm and 12 mm. The color of the shell goes from brown to whitish. The protoconch is paucispiral with its axis slightly deviated from the main axis. The

teleoconch The gastropod shell is part of the body of a 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 ...

consists of 3 ¼ rounded

whorls A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...

, axially crossed by 15 to 20 broad, rounded ribs, less conspicuous at the margin of the oblong aperture (

peristome Peristome (from the Greek ''peri'', meaning 'around' or 'about', and ''stoma'', 'mouth') is an anatomical feature that surrounds an opening to an organ or structure. Some plants, fungi, and shelled gastropods have peristomes. In mosses In mosse ...

). The outer lip is slightly crenulated and contains six lirae (fine linear elevations of shelly material). The

columella Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (; Arabic: , 4 – ) was a prominent writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. His ' in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture, together with the wo ...

is abaxially inclined and shows three folds with the siphonal fold displaying a noticeable tooth. The shell lacks an umbilicus. The periostracum is covered with very short hairs along the spiral lines.Verhecken A. (2007). ''Revision of the Cancellariidae (Mollusca, Neogastropoda, Cancellarioidea) of the eastern Atlantic (40°N-40°S) and the Mediterranean''. Zoosystema : 29(2): 281–364 p. 286-289

Distribution

This species is found in European waters and in the Atlantic Ocean along

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the ...

, Canary Islands and Mauritania at depths between 50 m and 125 m.

References

External links

* Cancellariidae Gastropods described in 1978 Molluscs of the Atlantic Ocean Molluscs of the Canary Islands Invertebrates of West Africa Fauna of Western Sahara {{cancellariidae-stub