''Lirularia lirulata'', common name the pearly top shell, 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
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 in the
family Trochidae, the top snails.
[Rosenberg, G. (2012). ''Lirularia lirulata'' (Carpenter, 1864). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=528718 on 2012-11-23]
Description
The height of the shell attains 6 mm. The solid, umbilicate shell has a globose-conical shape. It is lusterless or slightly shining, purplish, unicolored, or with large radiating white patches above, or around the periphery, or spiral darker lines, or spiral articulated lines. Surface either with (1st) a few (2-4) strong lirae above, their interspaces smooth, the base with about 8 concentric lirulae, or (2d) more numerous narrow irregular lirulae above, those of the base still smaller, or (3d) the spiral sculpture obsolete, surface smooth or nearly so above and beneath. The
spire is more or less elevated. The
apex is obtuse. The
sutures are impressed, sometimes subcanaliculate. 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 ...
is convex beneath. The
aperture is oblique, oval-rhomboidal, very brilliantly iridescent within, but the acute
peristome has a rather broad marginal band of opaque white. The
columella is simple. The
umbilicus is tubular, with incremental striae within.
Tryon (1889), Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
(described as ''Margarita lirulata'')
Distribution
This species occurs in the Pacific Ocean from Sitka
russian: Ситка
, native_name_lang = tli
, settlement_type = Consolidated city-borough
, image_skyline = File:Sitka 84 Elev 135.jpg
, image_caption = Downtown Sitka in 1984
, image_size ...
, Alaska, to San Diego, California.
References
External links
Biodiversity Heritage Library (2 publications)
Encyclopedia of Life
ITIS
World Register of Marine Species
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3734483
lirulata
Gastropods described in 1864