''Taranis granata'' 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

Raphitomidae Raphitomidae is a family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.) (2005). "Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families". '' Malacologia'' 47(1-2). . 3 ...

.MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Taranis granata (Hedley, 1922). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1259621 on 2020-02-16

Description

The length of the shell attains 6.5 mm, its diameter 3 mm. (Original description) The rather small shell is solid, ovate, and sharply gradate. Its colour is uniform buff. The shell contains seven

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 flo ...

s, inclusive of the

protoconch A protoconch (meaning first or earliest or original shell) is an embryonic or larval shell which occurs in some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod. In older texts it is also called ...

. They are contracted at the suture, angled at the shoulder, rounded at the periphery, and hollowed at the base. Sculpture: The surface is reticulated by elevated flat-topped spirals and radials. On the upper whorls these are of equal value, and enclose deep square meshes. The radials amount on 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 ...

to twenty-five, and on the antepenultimate to about twenty. They gradually diminish in size anteriorly and vanish on the base. On the body whorl there are about seventeen spirals, not counting a few minute interstitial threads. On the penultimate whorl there are three and on earlier whorls two spirals. The protoconch consists of two rounded whorls, superficially smooth, but on high magnification developing faint and minute oblique reticulation. The aperture is imperfect in the only example seen. Hedley C. (1922). ''A revision of the Australian Turridae.'' Records of the Australian Museum. 13(6): 213-359

Distribution

The holotype of this marine species was found off Queensland, Australia.

References

External links

* granata Gastropods described in 1922 Gastropods of Australia {{Raphitomidae-stub