''Siphonalia pfefferi'', common name Pfeffer's whelk, 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
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 Buccinidae, the true whelks.
Description
''Siphonalia pfefferi'' has a shell that reaches a length of 40–50 mm. The shape of this shell is ovate, with several prominent ribs per whorl and a siphonal canal slightly recurved. The surface has a white or cream-yellow background color, with small orange or pale brown spots. Interior has an orange coloration, with white inner lip of the aperture.
Distribution
This species is endemic to southern
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, mainly in
Kii Peninsula and southward.
Habitat
It lives on sandy bottoms, at a depth of 10–50 m.
References
WoRMSEncyclopedia of Life*
Buccinidae
Gastropods described in 1900
{{Buccinidae-stub