''Borsonella bartschi'' 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 ...

.Bouchet, P. (2015). Borsonella bartschi (Arnold, 1903). In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=849179 on 2016-02-25

Description

The solid shell is white, covered with a pale straw-colored

periostracum The periostracum ( ) is a thin, organic coating (or "skin") that is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including molluscs and brachiopods. Among molluscs, it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in gastropods and ...

. It contains eight

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 exclusive of the (lost) nucleus. The suture is distinct with a slightly swollen margin. The axial sculpture consists of (on the penultimate whorl about nine) nodular ribs, peripheral on the spire, becoming obsolete on 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 ...

, beginning in front of the fasciole and obscure beyond the periphery. The spiral sculpture consists of fine striae, visible only in occasional spots. The fasciole is somewhat constricted. Beside this there are faint traces of vermicular sculpture visible under a glass, reminiscent of the sculpture in ''

Borsonella barbarensis ''Borsonella barbarensis'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Borsoniidae. Description (Original description) The solid shell consists of six or more whorls. The apex is decollated. The periostracum is greenis ...

''. The aperture is narrow. The anal sulcus is moderately deep. The thin outer lip is arcuate. The body and the columella are smooth. The plait is hidden behind the columella which is attenuate in front. 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 short and wide. The height of shell attains 22 mm ; of the body whorl: 13 mm: diameter: 8 mm.Dall (1919) Descriptions of new species of Mollusca from the North Pacific Ocean; Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum, vol. 56 (1920)
(described as ''Borsonella nicoli'')

Distribution

This species occurs in the Pacific Ocean off Santa Barbara Island, California.

References

* Tucker, J.K. 2004 ''Catalog of recent and fossil turrids (Mollusca: Gastropoda).'' Zootaxa 682:1–1295. * McLean J.H. (1996). ''The Prosobranchia''. In: Taxonomic Atlas of the Benthic Fauna of the Santa Maria Basin and Western Santa Barbara Channel. The Mollusca Part 2 – The Gastropoda. Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. volume 9: 1–160

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Borsonella Bartschi bartschi Gastropods described in 1903