''Phorcus turbinatus'', common name the turbinate monodont, 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 ...
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
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...
in the
family Trochidae, the top snails.
[Gofas, S. (2012). ''Phorcus turbinatus'' (Born, 1780). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=689179 on 2012-11-23]
Description
The size of the shell varies between 15 mm and 43 mm. The very solid and thick, imperforate shell has a conical shape. It is whitish, tinged with gray, yellowish or greenish, tessellated with numerous spiral series of reddish, purple or chocolate sub-quadrangular blotches. The conoid
spire is more or less elevated. The
apex is eroded. The about 6
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 are slightly convex, with impressed spiral lines between the series of blotches, the last generally descending anteriorly. The base of the shell is eroded in front of the
aperture. The aperture is very oblique. The thick, smooth outer
lip is beveled to an edge. It is pearly and iridescent within. The
columella is flattened on the face, bluntly lobed within, pearly, backed by an opaque white layer.
Tryon (1889), Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
(described as ''Monodonta turbinata'')
Distribution
This marine species occurs in the following locations:Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
)
References
* Lamarck ( .-B. M.de), 1815-1822: ''Histoire naturelle des animaux sans vertèbres''; Paris
* Payraudeau B. C., 1826: ''Catalogue descriptif et méthodique des Annelides et des Mollusques de l'île de Corse''; Paris pp. 218 + 8 pl.
* Jeffreys J. G., 1856: ''On the marine Testacea of the Piedmontese coast''; Annals and Magazine of Natural History (2) 17: 155-188
* Bucquoy E., Dautzenberg P. & Dollfus G., 1882-1886: ''Les mollusques marins du Roussillon. Tome Ier. Gastropodes.''; Paris, J.B. Baillière & fils 570 p., 66 pl.
* Monterosato T. A. (di), 1888-1889: ''Molluschi del Porto di Palermo. Specie e varietà''; Bullettino della Società Malacologica Italiana, Pisa 13 (1888 889?: 161-180 14 (1889): 75-81
* Pallary P., 1912: ''Catalogue des mollusques du littoral méditerranéen de l'Egypte''; Mémoires de l'Institut d'Egypte 7: 69-207, pl. 15-18
* Nordsieck F., 1974: ''Il genere Osilinus Philippi, 1847 nei mari europei'' ; La Conchiglia 9-10 (67-68): 21-23
* Nordsieck F., 1982: ''Die europäischen Meeres-Gehäuseschnecken. 2. Auflage.''; Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart 539 pp., 38 pl
External links
To World Register of Marine Species
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7187379
turbinatus
Gastropods described in 1780