''Bathytoma arbucklei'' 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

Borsoniidae Borsoniidae is a monophyletic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.Bouchet, P. (2011). Borsoniidae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.o ...

Distribution

This species occurs in the Indian Ocean off Transkei, Southeast South Africa, at depths between 300 m and 500 m.

Description

The length of this biconical, white shell varies between 14.5 mm and 17.2 mm; its width between 6.6 mm and 8 mm. The periphery shows thin spiral threads, crossed by irregular threads resulting in fine granules at the intersections. The four

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 of the teleoconch show a strong, rounded shoulder. The base of spire whorls have strong spiral lirae, increasing in number towards 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 ...

. The columella lacks a pleat.

References

* Kilburn R.N. (1986). ''Turridae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of southern Africa and Mozambique. Part 3. Subfamily Borsoniinae.'' Annals of the Natal Museum. 27: 633-720 page(s): 639, figs 28-29, 33-34 Endemic fauna of South Africa arbucklei Gastropods described in 1986 {{Borsoniidae-stub