''Bolma aureola'', common name the golden turbo shell or the scaly star shell, 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 ...

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 Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

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 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 Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Turbinidae, the turban snails.Gofas, S. (2012). ''Bolma aureola'' (Hedley, 1907). Accessed through:

World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialist ...

at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=555216 on 2012-09-01

Description

(Original description by Ch. Hedley) The size of the shell varies between 60 mm and 100 mm. The large, massive, imperforate shell has a conical shape and contains seven whorls. The

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...

is elevate, later

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 becoming subscalar. The colour is a uniform dull brick-red, except a brilliant cadmium-orange ring round the

aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. An opt ...

. The

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

: the earlier whorls are strongly radiately plicate below the sutures. The periphery is armed with short, broad, downwardly directed spines becoming obsolete towards the aperture. On the penultimate whorl they number sixteen. Close spiral cords densely beset with imbricating scales cover the surface of the shell. Above there are ten cords carrying more distant hooded scales obliquely connected with those above and below. On the base there are also ten cords with more crowded scales. The base of the shell is flattened. The aperture is very oblique, subcircular, within and upon the columella pearly. A narrow inner margin to the lip continuous with an axial callus pad is bright cadmium-orange. The operculum is pale orange, oblong. Its nucleus is subterminal, hollow medially between two ribs, one of which rises proximally into a heavy callus mound. The subscalar whorls, peripheral thorns and orange mouth of ''Bolma. aureolum'' distinguish it. Charles Hedley, The Mollusca of Mast Head Reef, Capricorn Group, Queensland. Part II; Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales v. 32 (1907)
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Distribution

This marine species is endemic to Australia and occurs off

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

References

* Iredale, T. & McMichael, D.F. 1962. ''A reference list of the marine Mollusca of New South Wales''. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 11: 1-109 * Wilson, B. 1993. ''Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods''. Kallaroo, Western Australia : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 1 408 pp.

External links

To Encyclopedia of Life

To World Register of Marine Species
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q4939874 aureola Gastropods of Australia Gastropods described in 1907