''Gibbula philberti'' 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 ...

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.

Description

The size of the shell varies between 8 mm and 13 mm. The thin, small, umbilicate shell has a conical shape. The coloration is very variable, sometimes uniform dark brown or red, sometimes cinereous, longitudinally clouded with brown, or with spiral series of blackish dots. The low-conic

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 are ...

is gradate. The sutures are impressed. The 6

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 a little gibbous just below the sutures, causing the spire to be somewhat turreted. The whorls are encircled by numerous fine unequal lirulae or striae. The periphery is obtusely angular. The base of the shell is convex, generally a little more coarsely lirate than the upper surface. The

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 ...

is subquadrangular, oblique, and not angled at the junction of basal lip and columella. The columella is perceptibly arcuate. The large, white umbilicus is funnel-shaped and margined by one or several spiral riblets. The shell exhibits a great variation in the development of the spiral riblets. Sometimes all are small, nearly equal, and sometimes several larger ones are developed upon the upper surface.Tryon (1889), Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
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Distribution

This species occurs in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

and in the Atlantic Ocean off

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

References

* Récluz C. A., 1843: ''Catalogue descriptif de plusieurs nouvelles espèces de coquilles de France suivi d'observations sur quelques autres''; Revue zoologique, par la Société Cuvierienne 6: 5–12, 104–112, 228–238, 257–261 * Blainville H. M. (D. de), 1828–1830: ''Malacozoaires ou Animaux Mollusques. nFaune Française''; Levrault, Paris 320 p., 48 pl. ivr. 18 (1828) p. 1–80; livr. 2 (1829) p. 81–176; livr. 23 (1829) p. 177–240; livr. 28 (1830) p. 241–320* Philippi R. A., 1844: ''Enumeratio molluscorum Siciliae cum viventium tum in tellure tertiaria fossilium, quae in itinere suo observavit. Vol. 2''; Eduard Anton, Halle alis Saxorumiv + 303 p., pl. 13-28 * Bucquoy E., Dautzenberg P. & Dollfus G., 1882–1886: ''Les mollusques marins du Roussillon. Tome Ier. Gastropodes.''; Paris, J.B. Baillière & fils 570 p., 66 pl. [pp. 1–40, pl. 1–5, February 1882; pp. 41–84, pl. 6-10, August 1882; pp. 85–135, pl. 11–15, February 1883; pp. 136–196, pl. 16–20, August 1883; pp. 197–222, pl. 21–25, January 1884; pp. 223–258, pl. 26–30, February 1884; pp. 259–298, pl. 31–35, August 1884; pp. 299–342, pl. 36–40, September 1884; p. 343–386, pl. 41–45, February 1885; p. 387–418, pl. 46–50, August 1885; pp. 419–454, pl. pl. 51–60, January 1886; p. 455–486, pl. 56–60, April 1886; p. 487–570, pl. 61–66, October 1886] * Monterosato T. A. (di), 1888–1889: ''Molluschi del Porto di Palermo. Specie e varietà''; Bullettino della Società Malacologica Italiana, Pisa 13 (1888[1889?]): 161–180 14 (1889): 75–81 * Pallary P., 1912: ''Catalogue des mollusques du littoral méditerranéen de l'Egypte''; Mémoires de l'Institut d'Egypte 7: 69–207, pl. 15-18 * Coen G., 1937: ''Nuovo saggio di una sylloge molluscorum Adriaticorum''; Memoria Reale Comitato Talassografico Italiano 240, 1–173, 10 pls * Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). ''European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification.'' Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 180–213

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5559036 philberti Gastropods described in 1843