''Kylix ianthe'' 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

Drilliidae The Drilliidae are a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of small predatory sea snails with high-spired shells. They are classified as marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea. This family has no s ...

Description

The shell grows to a length of 17 mm, its diameter 6.5 mm. (Original description) The shell is acute and polished. its color is white with touches of brown on the anal fasciole and 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 ...

behind 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

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 ...

is blunt. The first

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 ...

is smooth, the second peripherally carinate. The eight subsequent whorls are moderately rounded. The suture is distinct, appressed and somewhat undulate. The anal fasciole is narrow and slightly constricted. The spiral sculpture consists of (on the penultimate whorl 3 or 4) incised lines in front of the periphery. The wider interspaces are raised and more or less rounded. On the body whorl there are 16 or more, extending to the

siphonal canal The siphonal canal is an anatomical feature of the shells of certain groups of sea snails within the clade Neogastropoda. Some sea marine gastropods have a soft tubular anterior extension of the mantle called a siphon through which water is ...

. The incised lines have a more opaque appearance contrasting with the translucent white of the whorls. There is no fine spiral striation. The axial sculpture consists of (on the penultimate whorl about a dozen) strong, wide ribs less prominent on the fasciole and fading out on the base and the last half of the body whorl. The interspaces are equal or sometimes wider. The ribs are cut by the incised lines but are not nodulose. They are most prominent on the anterior half of the whorls of the spire and on the periphery of the body whorl. The aperture is narrow. The

anal sulcus The anal sulcus, also called the anal sinus or anal canal, in Gastropods is a notch, a shelly tube at the top of the aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and fo ...

is deep and rounded, with a prominent subsutural callus. The outer lip is sharp-edged, with a moderate

behind it, and is arcuately produced. The inner lip shows a rather thick layer of enamel. The siphonal canal is distinct, rather wide and somewhat recurved.Dall (1919) Descriptions of new species of Mollusca from the North Pacific Ocean; Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum, vol. 56 (1920)
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Distribution

This species occurs in the demersal zone of the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California, Mexico to Panama

References

Tucker, J.K. 2004 ''Catalog of recent and fossil turrids (Mollusca: Gastropoda)''. Zootaxa 682:1–1295

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kylix Ianthe ianthe Gastropods described in 1919