''Eatoniella varicolor'' is a species of

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 ...

mollusc 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 esti ...

in the family

Eatoniellidae Eatoniellidae, commonly known as eatoniellids, are a taxonomic family of minute sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cingulopsoidea The Cingulopsoidea is a superfamily of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the cl ...

. First described by

Winston Ponder Winston Frank Ponder (born 1941) is a noted malacologist born and educated in New Zealand who has named and described many marine and freshwater animals, especially micromolluscs. Education and career Ponder graduated with an MSc, PhD (1968) ...

in 1965, it is endemic to the waters of New Zealand.

Description

''Eatoniella varicolor'' has an ovate, conic, smooth shell. The shells of this species vary considerably in colour, even within populations. The most commonly seen colour is a pale brownish-yellow, however the shells can vary from dark purple, black, orange, pale yellow and colourless. Shells are also occasionally banded. The species measures 1.73mm by 1.13mm. The species resembles '' Eatoniella lutea'', which often overlaps in range.''Eatoniella varicolor'' can be distinguished by its smaller size, dark protoconch and thinner shell.

Distribution and habitat

The species is endemic to New Zealand. The holotype was collected by Ponder himself on 27 March 1963 at Narrow Neck on the North Shore, Auckland, and was found on brown algae in rock pools. Originally the species was described as being found on

Stewart Island Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...

and the east coasts of the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

and

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. Since 1965, the species has been observed on the west coast of the South Island as far north as the

Open Bay Islands The Open Bay Islands are located in South Westland, off the south-west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. They consist of two main islands, Taumaka and Popotai, plus several smaller islets and rocks. They lie approximately offshore from ...

, and in the Wellington Region as far north as Kapiti Island. The species has also been identified on

Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands The Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands (sometimes just known collectively by the Māori name for the largest island, Manawatāwhi) are a group of 13 uninhabited islands about northwest of Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua, New Zealand, where th ...

, the volcanic

Whakaari / White Island Whakaari / White Island (, mi, Te Puia Whakaari, lit. "the dramatic volcano"), also known as White Island or Whakaari, is an active andesite stratovolcano situated from the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, in the Bay of Plent ...

and the Chatham Islands. The species prefers to live on brown algae, typically ''

Carpophyllum plumosum ''Carpophyllum'' is a genus of brown algae belonging to the family Sargassaceae. Species: *''Carpophyllum angustifolium'' *''Carpophyllum elongatum'' *''Carpophyllum flexuosum'' *''Carpophyllum japonicum'' *''Carpophyllum longifolium'' *''C ...

'', however has sometimes been found on '' Corallina''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6784163 Eatoniellidae Gastropods described in 1965 Gastropods of New Zealand Endemic fauna of New Zealand Endemic molluscs of New Zealand Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean Taxa named by Winston Ponder