''Megastomia conoidea'' 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 Pyramidellidae, the pyrams and their allies.

Description

The shell size varies between 2.5 mm and 7 mm. The white shell is solid, polished and with microscopic growth lines. The periphery is more or less distinctly keeled or angulated, with an impressed spiral line. There are eight, nearly flat

whorls 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 d ...

. The umbilicus is small and deep. The columellar tooth is strong and prominent. The interior of the outer lip is ridged, terminating in small tubercles within the mouth. (Description of ''Odostomia sicula'') The white shell is solid and polished. Its length measures 6.25 mm. The 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 of the teleoconch are nearly flat. They are marked with microscopic growth lines. The periphery of the shell is more or less distinctly keeled or angulated. The shell shows an impressed spiral line. The small umbilicus goes deep. The columellar tooth is strong and prominent. The interior of the lip is ridged, terminating in small tubercles within the aperture.

G.W. Tryon George Washington Tryon Jr. (20 May 1838 – 5 February 1888) was an American malacologist who worked at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. Biography George Washington Tryon was the son of Edward K. Tryon and Adeline Savid ...

(1889) considered it a synonym of ''Odostomia conoidea'' Brocchi.

, Manual of Conchology vol. VIII, p. 349-350; 1889

Distribution

This species occurs in the following locations: * Angola * Canary Islands * Cape Verde Archipelago * the Atlantic Ocean (Norway to West Africa, Senegal, Angola) * São Tomé and Príncipe Archipelagos * United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone * Mediterranean Sea

References

* Philippi, Zeitsch. fur Malac., p. 88, 1852.
Requien E. (1848). ''Catalogue des Coquilles de l'Île de Corse''. Seguin, Avignon v-xii, 13-109
* Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). ''European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification''. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 180–213 * de Kluijver, M.J.; Ingalsuo, S.S.; de Bruyne, R.H. (2000). ''Macrobenthos of the North Sea'' D-ROM 1. Keys to Mollusca and Brachiopoda. World Biodiversity Database CD-ROM Series. Expert Center for Taxonomic Identification (ETI): Amsterdam, The Netherlands. . 1 cd-rom * Rolán E., 2005. ''Malacological Fauna From The Cape Verde Archipelago''. Part 1, Polyplacophora and Gastropoda

External links

To Encyclopedia of Life

To ITIS

To GenBank

To World Register of Marine Species
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q3176990 Pyramidellidae Gastropods described in 1884 Molluscs of the Atlantic Ocean Molluscs of the Mediterranean Sea