''Clanculus albugo'' 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 ...

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 resembles ...

, the top snails.Rosenberg, G. (2012). ''Clanculus albugo'' (Watson, 1880). 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=594185 on 2012-11-23

Description

The small, conoidal shell has a tumid conical base. It is bluntly bicarinate and umbilicate with a resinous luster. Its

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 ...

shows very many irregular oblique faint lines of growth, with a few remote rounded spirals, which are very weak above, stronger on the base, and of which two at the periphery form a feeble double carina. The color of the shell is: a pale transparent resinous brown, flecked below the sutures and, at the periphery with alternate spots of white and crimson. The latter color runs in minute zigzag streaks down the shell. There are also, both above and on the base, a few delicate spirals of alternate crimson and white specks. 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 rather low, with curved profile lines and a blunt round apex. The five

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 are rounded and sloping above, flat at the periphery, and tumid on the base. The suture is linear and very slightly depressed. The round

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 ...

is rather large. The outer lip is thin. The inner lip is thin, hollowed out backwards, and bending somewhat across the umbilicus. The umbilicus is a broad shallow funnel, contracting to a small deep hole.Tryon (1889), Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
(described as ''Minolia albugo'')

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 ...

References

* Watson, R.B. 1880. ''Mollusca of "H.M.S. Challenger" expedition. Part V. Families Solenoconchia, Trochidae, Heterophrosynidae, Litorinidae, Cerithiidae''. Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology 15: 87-126 * Whitelegge, T. 1889. ''List of the Marine and Freshwater Invertebrate Fauna of Port Jackson and the Neighbourhood''. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 23: 1-161 * Hedley, C. 1918. ''A checklist of the marine fauna of New South Wales. Part 1''. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 51: M1-M120 * Thornley, G. 1951. ''Marine shell collecting on the north coast of New South Wales''. Proceedings of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales 1949-1950: 44-52 * Garrard, T.A. 1961. ''Mollusca collected by M. V. "Challenger" off the east coast of Australia''. Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia 5: 3-38 * 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

External links

Biodiversity Heritage Library (1 publication)

World Register of Marine Species
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5125645

albugo ''Albugo'' is a genus of plant-parasitic oomycetes. Those are not true fungi (Eumycota), although many discussions of this organism still treat it as a fungus. The taxonomy of this genus is incomplete, but several species are plant pathogens. ''A ...

Gastropods of Australia Gastropods described in 1880