''Clanculus personatus'', common name the masked clanculus, 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.Rosenberg, G. (2012). ''Clanculus personatus'' (Philippi, 1849). 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=594205 on 2012-11-23

Description

The size of the shell attains 16 mm. The heavy, solid shell has a low conical shape. It is umbilicated and carinated. Its color is white, or suffused with a faint rose tint, with a series of small rose-colored maculations above the periphery and sometimes at the suture. The base of the shell is white or faintly marked with rose around the outer border. The about 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 slightly convex. They are separated by subcanaliculate sutures. The outline of 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 a little convex. The first two whorls are smooth and eroded. The following are granose-lirate, the penultimate with 5 or 6, the last with 11 or 12 series of very distinct rounded granules, the 5th or 6th forming the periphery. The interstices are decussated by fine oblique and spiral striulae, which are sometimes obsolete. The body whorl is carinated at the periphery, lightly deflected toward the aperture, and much flattened there. The base of the shell is a trifle convex, the middle portion concave toward the umbilicus. The tetragonal

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 very oblique and almost horizontal. The upper

lip The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

is straight, bearing a strong tubercular tooth midway. The outer and basal lips are well rounded, thickened and plicate-denticulate within. The basal margin is decidedly expanded and curved. 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 very oblique, concave and toward the insertion, its edge scarcely reflexed, simple, bearing a single triangular projection or tooth below the middle, and terminating in a very strong, quadrate, biplicate tooth at its base. The parietal wall is wrinkled. The umbilicus penetrates deeper than the insertion of the columella and is bordered by a plicate rib. The peristome is much thickened inside.H. Pilsbry, Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
(described as ''Trochus personatus'')

Distribution

This marine species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to Australia and occurs off

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Philippi, R.A. 1846. ''Diagnoses testaceorum quorundam novarum''. Malakozoologische Blätter 1846: 97-106 * Philippi, R.A. 1849. ''Trochidae''. 73-120, pls 36-39 in Küster, H.C. (ed). Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet von Martini und Chemnitz. Nürnberg : Bauer & Raspe Vol. II. * Adams, A. 1853. ''Contributions towards a monograph of the Trochidae, a family of gastropodous Mollusca''. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1851(19): 150-192 * Pritchard, G.B. & Gatliff, J.H. 1902. ''Catalogue of the marine shells of Victoria. Part V''. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 14(2): 85-138 * Cotton, B.C. & Godfrey, F.K. 1934. ''South Australian Shells. Part 11''. South Australian Naturalist 15(3): 77-92 * Cotton, B.C. 1959. ''South Australian Mollusca. Archaeogastropoda. Handbook of the Flora and Fauna of South Australia''. Adelaide : South Australian Government Printer 449 pp * Macpherson, J.H. & Gabriel, C.J. 1962. ''Marine Molluscs of Victoria''. Melbourne : Melbourne University Press & National Museum of Victoria 475 pp. * Wilson, B.R. & Gillett, K. 1982. ''The colourful shells of Australia. How to identify them''. Sydney : AH & AW Reed 288 pp. * Wells, F.E. & Bryce, C.W. 1986. ''Seashells of Western Australia''. Perth : Western Australian Museum 207 pp. * Wilson, B. 1993. ''Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods''. Kallaroo, Western Australia : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 1 408 pp. * Jansen, P. 1995. ''A review of the genus Clanculus Montfort, 1810 (Gastropoda: Trochidae) in Australia, with description of a new subspecies and the introduction of a nomen novum.'' Vita Marina 43(1-2): 39-62

External links

To Biodiversity Heritage Library (3 publications)

To World Register of Marine Species
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5125705 personatus Gastropods of Australia Gastropods described in 1849 Taxa named by Rodolfo Amando Philippi