''Asperdaphne tasmanica'' is a species of

sea snail Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...

, a marine

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk in the family

Raphitomidae Raphitomidae is a family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.) (2005). "Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families". '' Malacologia'' 47(1-2). . 3 ...

Description

The length of the shell attains 7 mm, its diameter 3 mm. (Original description) The small shell is tumidly ovate. It is whitish, thin opaque. It contains 6

whorl 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 ...

s, convex, subangulate, neatly keeled. The keels are small, rounded, elevated; It is elegantly cancellate, with regular distant small lirae. The keels in the

body whorl The body whorl is part of the morphology of the shell in those gastropod mollusks that possess a coiled shell. The term is also sometimes used in a similar way to describe the shell of a cephalopod mollusk. In gastropods In gastropods, the b ...

alternate. The sutured is deeply impressed. The apex is obtuse and cancellate. The aperture is widely ovate. The outer lip is thin and deeply sinuated posteriorly. The lip is inconspicuous. The columella is long and twisted. The

siphonal canal The siphonal canal is an anatomical feature of the shells of certain groups of sea snails within the clade Neogastropoda. Some sea marine gastropods have a soft tubular anterior extension of the mantle called a siphon through which water is ...

is somewhat short.Tenison-Woods J.E. (1877). ''On some new Tasmanian marine shells. (Second series)''. Papers and Proceedings and Report of the Royal Society of Tasmania. (1876): 131-159

Distribution

This marine species is endemic to Australia and occurs off South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.

References

External links

Gastropods.com: ''Asperdaphne (Asperdaphne) tasmanica''
*
Hedley C. (1922). ''A revision of the Australian Turridae''. Records of the Australian Museum. 13(6): 213-359
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asperdaphne Tasmanica tasmanica Gastropods described in 1877 Gastropods of Australia