''Cantharidus marmoreus'' 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 ...

Trochidae The Trochidae, common name top-snails or top-shells, are a family of various sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the subclass Vetigastropoda. This family is commonly known as the top-snails because in many species the shell resemb ...

, the top snails.Bouchet, P. (2012). ''Cantharidus marmoreus'' (Pease, 1868). 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 specialis ...

at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=596456 on 2012-11-23

Description

The height of the shell attains 8 mm, its diameter 5 mm. The rather solid shell has an elongate-conical shape. It is imperforate, but with a groove and pit or even a slight perforation at the place of the umbilicus. It is whitish, longitudinally clouded with brown or pink, often showing white opaque scattered dots. The surface is polished. 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 ...

consists of numerous broad flat smooth spirals, separated by impressed lines. There are seven of these flat spiral ribs on the upper surface of the body whorl, the peripheral one larger. The base of the shell has numerous concentric striae, and about 4 spaced, more impressed grooves. 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 a ...

is high with its lateral outlines nearly straight . There are about 8 whorls, each one a trifle convex, the last angular at the periphery. The base of the shell is a little convex. 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 ...

is quadrate. 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 vertical and obliquely truncate at its base.Tryon (1889), Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
(described as ''Calliostoma mamoreum'')

Distribution

This species occurs in the Pacific Ocean off the

Tuamotu Islands The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands (french: Îles Tuamotu, officially ) are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extendin ...

References

* Cernohorsky, W.O., 1980. ''Taxonomic notes on Polynesian Mollusca with descriptions of new species of Nassariidae''. Rec. Auck. Inst. Mus., 17:113-125.

External links

To Biodiversity Heritage Library (1 publication)

To World Register of Marine Species
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5033760 marmoreus Gastropods described in 1868