''Monilea incerta'' 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). ''Monilea incerta'' Iredale, 1912. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=592801 on 2012-11-23

Description

The height of the shell attains 10 mm, its diameter 9 mm. The thin, small, umbilicate shell has a turbinate shape. The convex

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 increase gradually. They are slightly flattened below the suture. 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 rounded at the periphery. The colour of the shell is generally blackish-grey, irregularly rayed with white. The shell contains six

s six. The first one and a half whorl is minute and unsculptured. The sculpture consists of spiral threads increasing in number and strength. The penultimate whorl has three major threads, the last five above the periphery. Between these run from one to three minor threads. The whole shell is overridden by very fine axial striae. The base is sculptured with about twelve even-spaced ridges, similarly overridden. The umbilicus is narrow, bounded by a thickened rib, only developed in the adult; inside white. The aperture is subquadrate. The outer lip is thin. The columella ascends with a faint reflection, and higher again reflected, when a rib enters the umbilicus. It is connected with the outer lip by a slight callus. The operculum is circular, and multispiral. Its nucleus is central, thin and horny.Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London v. 10 (1912-1913)
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Distribution

This marine species occurs off the Kermadec Islands.

References

* Iredale T. (1912). ''New generic names and new species of marine mollusca''. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (1912) 1: 217-228

External links

Biodiversity Heritage Library (7 publications)

World Register of Marine Species
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3737362 incerta Gastropods described in 1912