''Kermia tessellata'' 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 ...

Description

The shell grows to a length of 10 mm The whorls are granular, decussated with longitudinal and spiral lines. They are painted with brown somewhat square spots. v

Distribution

This species occurs in the Indian Ocean off Madagascar and Mauritius, and in the Pacific Ocean off Taiwan,

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 Northeast

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

* Montrouzier, R.P. in Souverbie, M. 1861. ''Descriptions d'espèces nouvelles de l'archipel Caledonien, (6th article)''. Journal de Conchyliologie 9: 271-284 * Sowerby, G.B. (3rd) 1893. ''Descriptions of fifteen new species of shells of the family Pleurotomidae.'' Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1893: 487–492 * Hedley, C. 1922. ''A revision of the Australian Turridae.'' Records of the Australian Museum 13(6): 213–359, pls 42–56 * Dautzenberg, P. (1923). ''Liste préliminaire des mollusques marins de Madagascar et description de deux espèces nouvelles''. Journal de Conchyliologie 68: 21-74 * Dautzenberg, Ph. (1929). ''Mollusques testacés marins de Madagascar''. Faune des Colonies Francaises, Tome III * 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 * Kilburn, R.N. (1977) ''Taxonomic studies on the marine Mollusca of southern Africa and Mozambique. Part 1.'' Annals of the Natal Museum, 23, 173–214 * Cernohorsky, W.O. 1978. ''Tropical Pacific marine shells.'' Sydney : Pacific Publications 352 pp., 68 pls * Wells, F.F., Bryce, C.W., Clark, J.E. & Hansen, G.M. 1990. ''Christmas Shells. The marine molluscs of Christmas Island (Indian Ocean)''. Christmas Island: Australia : Christmas Island Natural History Association 98 pp., pls 1-81.

External links

Hinds R. B. (1843). ''On new species of Pleurotoma, Clavatula, and Mangelia.'' Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 11: 36-46
*
Tröndlé, J. E. A. N., and Michel Boutet. "Inventory of marine molluscs of French Polynesia." Atoll Research Bulletin (2009)
* tessellata Gastropods described in 1843 {{Raphitomidae-stub