''Solariella varicosa'', common name the varicose solarielle, 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
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
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 ...
Solariellidae
Solariellidae is a family of small sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Trochoidea (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).Gofas, S. (2011). Solariellidae. Accessed through: World Register of ...
.
Distribution
This species occurs in European waters, in the northwest Atlantic Ocean, in circum-arctic waters, in the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to southern California.
Description
The maximum recorded
shell length is 14 mm.
[Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". '' PLoS ONE'' 5(1): e8776. .] The shell is coarse, usually more or less eroded. It has a yellowish white color over a brilliant nacre. 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 ...
contains with five or more moderately rounded
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. The nucleus is eroded. The distinct
suture is not appressed. The axial
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
shows numerous somewhat irregular narrow close-set wrinkles, extending over the whorl from the suture to the verge of the funicular
umbilicus. The spiral sculpture shows a few spiral lines near the umbilicus. The subcircular
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 oblique and produced above. The
lips are joined over the body by a layer of enamel. The dark-brown
operculum is multispiral, with 8 or 10 turns.
Dall (1919) Descriptions of new species of Mollusca from the North Pacific Ocean; Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum, vol. 56 (1920)
(described as ''Margarites pauperculus'')
Habitat
Minimum recorded depth is 13 m.
References
* Sowerby, G. B., I. 1838. ''A descriptive catalogue of the species of Leach's genus Margarita''. Malacological and Conchological Magazine 1: 23–27
* Mighels, J. W. and C. B. Adams. 1842. ''Descriptions of twenty-four species of the shells of New England''. Boston Journal of Natural History 4: 37–54, pl. 4.
* Sars, M. 1859. ''Bidrag til en Skildring af den arctiske Molluskfauna ved Norges nordlige Kyst.'' Forhandlinger i Videnskabs-Selskabet i Christiania 1: 34–87.
* Brunel, P., Bosse, L. & Lamarche, G. (1998). ''Catalogue of the marine invertebrates of the estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence''. Canadian Special Publication of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 126. 405 p.
* 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
* Gulbin V.V. & Chaban E.M. (2012) ''Annotated list of shell-bearing gastropods of Commander Islands. Part I.'' The Bulletin of the Russian Far East Malacological Society 15–16: 5–30.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solariella Varicosa
varicosa
Gastropods described in 1842