''Clanculus rarus'' 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
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
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.
The description by Dufo was miserable and doesn't allow an undisputed definition.
Paul Fischer (1835-1893) suggested that it should be relegated to the synonymy of ''
Clanculus pharaonius
''Clanculus pharaonius'', common name the strawberry topshell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails.
It is the type species of this genus.
Description
The size of the shell varies bet ...
''.
L.C. Kiener & Paul Fischer, Spécies général et iconographie des coquilles vivantes comprenant la collection du Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Paris : la collection Lamarck, celle du prince Masséna (appartenant maintenant a M.B. Delessert) et les découvertes récentes des voyageurs; Paris :J.B. Baillière,1873-80
/ref>
Description
The size of the shell attains 12 mm.
Distribution
This marine species occurs in the Indian Ocean off the Mascarene basin.
References
* Herbert, D. G. 1991. ''New records of Mollusca from southern Africa and Mozambique. Part 1. (Mollusca: Gastropoda)''. Annals of the Natal Museum 32: 305–318. page(s): 308
External links
Ph. Dautzenberg, Liste des Mollusques Marins de France provenant des îlesGlorieuses; Société des sciences naturelles de l'Ouest de France t.5 (1895)
*
rarus
Gastropods described in 1840
{{Trochidae-stub