''Hiloa variabilis'', common name the minute pheasant, 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 ...

of 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 ...

with

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an adje ...

opercula, 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 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 ...

Phasianellidae Phasianellidae common name the "pheasant shells" or "pheasant snails" is a family of small sea snails with calcareous opercula, marine gastropod mollusks in the subclass Vetigastropoda Vetigastropoda is a major Taxonomy (biology), taxonomi ...

, the pheasant snails.Rosenberg, G. (2012). ''Tricolia variabilis'' (Pease, 1860). Accessed through:

World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialist ...

at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=593922 on 2013-02-10

Description

The thin, ovate, rather solid shell has a moderately long and shining spire. Its height is 5 mm. The 3-4 convexly rounded

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 marked with very fine oblique longitudinal striae. The inner lip is callous, slightly expanded at the base, indented at the umbilical region and with a groove behind the inner lip. 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 ovate. The color of the shell is white, variously painted with pink lines and blotches. These lines are fine, oblique, and extend over a portion of the whorls. They are sometimes flexuous and cover the whole surface. The blotches have a longitudinal shape. The periphery of 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 ...

usually ornamented with a row of pink spots. The axis is perforate. The peristome does not project forward at junction of columellar and basal margins.G.W. Tryon (1888), Manual of Conchology X; Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
/ref>

Distribution

This species occurs in the tropical and temperate Indo-West Pacific, off

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and off

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 ...

References

External links

Barcode of Life (1 barcode)

Biodiversity Heritage Library (3 publications)

GenBank (3 nucleotides; 2 proteins)

ITIS

World Register of Marine Species
*
Pease, W. H. (1861). Descriptions of forty-seven new species of shells from the Sandwich Islands, in the collection of Hugh Cuming. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 28: 431-438

Pilsbry, H.A. (1917). Marine mollusks of Hawaii, I-III. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 69: 207-230, pls 14-15

Laseron, C. F. (1955). The identity of Phasianella virgo. Proceedings of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. (1953-1954): 77-78

Angas, G. F. (1867). Descriptions of thirty-two species of marine shells from the coast of New South Wales. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. (1867): 110-117, pl. 13

Pilsbry, H. A. (1895). Catalogue of the marine shells of Japan with descriptions of new species and notes on others collected by Frederick Stearns. F. Stearns, Detroit, viii + 196 pp, 11 pls

Herbert D.G. (2015). An annotated catalogue and bibliography of the taxonomy, synonymy and distribution of the Recent Vetigastropoda of South Africa (Mollusca). Zootaxa. 4049(1): 1-98
{{Taxonbar, from2=Q3735499, from1=Q61696365 Phasianellidae Gastropods described in 1860