''Eucithara crystallina'' is a small

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

Mangeliidae Mangeliidae is a monophyletic family of small to medium-sized, predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea. Bouchet, P. (2011). Mangeliidae P. Fischer, 1883. In: MolluscaBase (2016). Accessed through: World Regis ...

.WoRMS (2009). Eucithara crystallina (Hervier, 1897). In: MolluscaBase (2017). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=433710 on 2017-05-11

Description

The length of the shell attains 6 mm, its diameter 2.5 mm. The small shell has an oblong shape with short, briefly conical and acuminate spire. The translucent shell is of a brilliant crystal white, becomes milky white in the thickening of the ribs. It is adorned with longitudinal ribs, numbering 8 to 9 on the penultimate whorl, with interstices 1½ to 2 times wider than their thickness; These blunt ribs are lightly raised, with triangular sections, originate at the suture and run obliquelyto the

siphonal canal The siphonal canal is an anatomical feature of the shells of certain groups of sea snails within the clade Neogastropoda. Some sea marine gastropods have a soft tubular anterior extension of the mantle called a siphon through which water is ...

that they reach by concentrating. The shell is transversely traversed by small well engraved striae, which cut the ribs and their interstices throughout the height. The spire contains 6 to 7 whorls. The 2 embryonic ones are rounded and milky white. The next whorls are clearly by a linear suture. They are slightly rounded and show a start of angulation becoming very sensitive on the middle of the penultimate whorl, which is swollen and knobby. The

body whorl The body whorl is part of the morphology of the shell in those gastropod mollusks that possess a coiled shell. The term is also sometimes used in a similar way to describe the shell of a cephalopod mollusk. In gastropods In gastropods, the b ...

exceeds in length 2/3 of the height of the shell. It is briefly and obtusely angular in its upper part, and terminaties n an elongated convex cone. Towards the base of the shell, one observes 4 to 5 high, very oblique ribs surrounding the

. The narrow and obliquely elongated

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 ...

exceeds in length half of the total height; The peristome is continuous. The inside of the aperture is hyaline white. The columella is slightly concave and is provided with a large number of small folds disposed throughout its length. The outer lip is arcuate, weakly angular towards the sinus, very thickened on the body whorl. Its lip is sharp, a little prominent at the entrance to the siphonal canal. The interior is furrowed with numerous folds. The sinus is rounded, obliquely entering the thickness of the outer lip, at the point of angulation of the body Hervier, J. 1898. ''Descriptions d'espèces nouvelles de Mollusques provenant de l'Archipel de la Nouvelle-Calédonie.'' Journal de Conchyliologie 45: 165-195, 249-266, pls 7-8
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Distribution

This marine species occurs off

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

and the Loyalty Islands.

References

* Bouge, L.J. & Dautzenberg, P.L. 1914. ''Les Pleurotomides de la Nouvelle-Caledonie et de ses dependances.'' Journal de Conchyliologie 61: 123-214 * Fischer-Piette, E., 1950. ''Liste des types décrits dans le Journal de Conchyliologie et conservés dans la collection de ce journal (avec planches)(suite).'' Journal de Conchyliologie 90: 149-180

External links

Tucker, J.K. 2004 ''Catalog of recent and fossil turrids (Mollusca: Gastropoda)''. Zootaxa 682:1-1295

Virginie, et al. "Mollusca of New Caledonia." Compendium of marine species of New Caledonia. Documents Scientifiques et Techniques II7, 2nd edn. IRD, Nouméa (2007): 199-254
{{Taxonbar, from=Q10278012 crystallina Gastropods described in 1897