''Fossarina patula'' is a species of very 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 ...

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 ...

micromollusk A micromollusk is a shelled mollusk which is extremely small, even at full adult size. The word is usually, but not exclusively, applied to marine mollusks, although in addition, numerous species of land snails and freshwater mollusks also ...

in the family Trochidae, the top snails.Marshall, B. (2013). Fossarina patula (A. Adams & Angas, 1864). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=719227 on 2014-03-02

Description

The shell grows to a length of 6 mm. The shell is widely umbilicated, with alternate larger and smaller tuberculated spiral ribs. The ribs are simple on the base. The umbilicus is acutely carinate-margined. The shell is whitish, sparsely maculated with dark brown. The three

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 convex. The outer lip is ascending posteriorly.

Distribution

This marine species is endemic to Australia and occurs off New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria

References

*Adams, S. & Angas, G.F. 1863. ''Descriptions of new species from Australian seas, in the collection of

George French Angas George French Angas (25 April 1822 – 4 October 1886), also known as G.F.A., was an English explorer, naturalist, painter and poet who emigrated to Australia. His paintings are held in a number of important Australian public art collections. ...

''. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1863(III): 418-428, pl. xxxvii *Angas, G.F. 1871. ''Descriptions of thirty-four new species of shells from Australia''. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1871: 13-20 *Tenison-Woods, J.E. 1881. ''On some new marine Mollusca''. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 17: 80-83 *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 The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. The Governor of New South Wales is the vice-regal patron of the Society. The Society was established as the Philosophical Society of Australasia on 27 June ...

23: 1-161
Henn, A.U. & Brazier, J.W. 1894. ''List of Mollusca found at Green Point, Watson's Bay, Sydney. With a few remarks upon some of the most interesting species and descriptions of new species''. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2 9: 165-182
*Tate, R. & May, W.L. 1901. ''A revised census of the marine Mollusca of Tasmania''.

Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales The Linnean Society of New South Wales promotes ''the Cultivation and Study of the Science of Natural History in all its Branches'' and was founded in Sydney, New South Wales ( Australia) in 1874 and incorporated in 1884. History The Society suc ...

26(3): 344-471 *Kesteven, H.L. 1902. ''The systematic position of the genus Fossarina, A.Adams and Angas, and of Fossarina varia, Hutton''. Records of the Australian Museum 4(7): 317-322 *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 *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 *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 *Wilson, B. 1993. ''Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods''. Kallaroo, Western Australia : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 1 408 pp.

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q13637241 patula Gastropods of Australia Gastropods described in 1863