''Tegula ligulata'' 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 ...

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 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 ...

Tegulidae Tegulidae is a family of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Trochoidea (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).Bouchet, P. (2013). Tegulidae Kuroda, Habe & Oyama, 1971. Access ...

.WoRMS (2012). ''Tegula ligulata'' (Menke, 1850). Accessed through:

World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialist ...

at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=575694 on 2012-09-01 ;Subspecies: * ''Tegula ligulata ligulata'' (Menke, 1850). It is sometimes considered a synonym of ''

Tegula eiseni ''Tegula eiseni'', common name the western banded tegula, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Tegulidae. Description The size of the shell varies between 13 mm and 22 mm. Distribution This species occur ...

'' (Jordan, 1936) * ''Tegula ligulata mariamadre'' Pilsbry & Lowe, 1932 (synonym: ''Tegula (Agathistoma) mariana mariamadre'' Pilsbry, H.A. & H.N. Lowe, 1932)

Description

The height of the shell attains 22 mm, its diameter also 22 mm. This is an extremely variable form. The shell may be either very much depressed or as high as broad. It may be spirally sculptured with numerous narrow, unequal lirae, or as strongly cingulate as the preceding form. The best development of this variety is shown by the specimens from

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

. They are elevated, turbinated, strongly granose-lirate. The base of the shell is deeply eroded in front of the

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 ...

. The color is brownish-yellow, with numerous close narrow longitudinal purplish-brown stripes, but the whole surface is so dingy that it appears unicolored. The spiral lirae are subequal, the grains low and elongated in the direction of the lirae. The

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 rounder than in ''

Tegula viridula ''Agathistoma viridulum'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family (biology), family Tegulidae.MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Agathistoma viridulum (Gmelin, 1791). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Sp ...

'' and the aperture decidedly smaller, and lacking green tinge on the columella. It is usually encrusted with

bryozoa Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about long, they have a special feeding structure called a l ...

or Serpula.Tryon (1889), Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
/ref>

Distribution

This species occurs in the Pacific Ocean from

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

References

Keen M. (1971) Sea shells of tropical West America. Marine mollusks from Baja California to Perú, ed. 2. Stanford University Press. 1064 pp {{Taxonbar, from=Q7694783 ligulata Gastropods described in 1850