''Mitrella ocellata'', the white-spotted dove shell, 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Columbellidae The Columbellidae, the dove snails or dove shells, are a family of minute to small sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the order Neogastropoda.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2010). Columbellidae. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) Wo ...

Description

The size of the shell varies between 6 mm and 14 mm. The small, oblong shell is moderately thick, cylindrical, and smooth. It is fawn colored or red, dotted with small, round, white dots, disposed regularly in quincunxes, or in a network. The

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...

is composed of eleven

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, generally truncated at the summit. The whorls are subconnate, surrounded at their upper part by an articulated band of white and brown. The body whorl is ornamented towards its base with numerous transverse fine striae. 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 narrow, of a violet color. The outer

lip The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

is obtuse, thick, almost straight, interiorly having small folds or teeth in large quantities. The upper extremity forms the commencement of an emargination. All the external surface of this shell is covered by a membranous, reddish, thin periosteum, so transparent, that the colors are seen through it.Kiener (1840). General species and iconography of recent shells : comprising the Massena Museum, the collection of Lamarck, the collection of the Museum of Natural History, and the recent discoveries of travellers; Boston :W.D. Ticknor,1837
(described as ''Buccinum cribrarium'')

Distribution

This marine species has a wide distribution. It has been found in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of South America, Africa, and remote islands such as

Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory o ...

and

Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

References

* Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca. in: Costello, M.J. et al. (eds), ''European Register of Marine Species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification.'' Patrimoines Naturels. 50: 180–213 {{Taxonbar, from=Q3139343 ocellata Gastropods described in 1791 Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin