''Hemilienardia homochroa'' is a species 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 in the family

Raphitomidae Raphitomidae is a family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.) (2005). "Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families". ''Malacologia'' 47(1-2). . 39 ...

.MolluscaBase (2019). MolluscaBase. Hemilienardia homochroa Hedley, 1922. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=435441 on 2019-06-28

Description

The length of the shell attains 5 mm, its diameter 2.5 mm. (Original description) The small, solid shell is elongate-ovate. Its colour is entire deep rose pink, except an opaque white zone which is at first one spiral broad and at last three rows broad. The shell contains eight

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, first three and a half apical, rapidly increasing. Sculpture : The radials are twelve prominent round-backed ribs, ceasing on the base, discontinuous from whorl to whorl, and broader than their interstices. The spirals amount to sixteen on 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 ...

, and to four on the penultimate whorl. They are stout close-set cords which traverse both ribs and interstices and continue on the base. There they carry large beads in continuation of the axes of the ribs. The whole surface is also microscopically shagreened. Aperture:—The mouth is vertical, contracted by the limb of the

varix A varix (pl. varices) is an abnormally dilated vessel with a tortuous course. Varices usually occur in the venous system, but may also occur in arterial or lymphatic vessels. Examples of varices include: * Varicose veins, large tortuous veins usua ...

, the free edge of which is armed with five prominent tubercles. The columella is excavate and twisted The sinus is deep and narrow. Hedley, C. 1922. A revision of the Australian Turridae. Records of the Australian Museum 13(6): 213-359, pls 42-56
This is an Australian representative of ''

Hemilienardia malleti ''Hemilienardia malleti'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae Raphitomidae is a family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.Bouchet P. & ...

'' (Recluz, 1852) from the tropical Pacific. It is easily and definitely distinguished by having the

protoconch A protoconch (meaning first or earliest or original shell) is an embryonic or larval shell which occurs in some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod. In older texts it is also called ...

coloured like the rest of the shell instead of being a brilliant white like that of ''malleti''.

Distribution

This marine species occurs off Taiwan, the Philippines and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

(Queensland, New South Wales)

References

* Powell, A.W.B. 1966. ''The molluscan families Speightiidae and Turridae, an evaluation of the valid taxa, both Recent and fossil, with list of characteristic species.'' Bulletin of the Auckland Institute and Museum. Auckland, New Zealand 5: 1–184, pls 1–23 * Wiedrick S.G. (2017). ''Aberrant geomorphological affinities in four conoidean gastropod genera, Clathurella Carpenter, 1857 (Clathurellidae), Lienardia Jousseaume, 1884 (Clathurellidae), Etrema Hedley, 1918 (Clathurellidae) and Hemilienardia Boettger, 1895 (Raphitomidae), with the description of fourteen new Hemilienardia species from the Indo-Pacific.'' The Festivus. special issue: 2-45.

External links

Gastropods.com: ''Hemilienardia homochroa''
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q13225597 homochroa Gastropods described in 1922 Gastropods of Australia