''Thalotia conica'', common name the conical top shell, 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, a marine gastropod

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 group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Trochidae The Trochidae, common name top-snails or top-shells, are a family of various sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the subclass Vetigastropoda. This family is commonly known as the top-snails because in many species the shell resemb ...

, the top snails.Bouchet, P. (2012). ''Thalotia conica'' (Gray, 1827). 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 specialis ...

at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=573215 on 2012-11-23

Description

The solid shell is imperforate and elevated conical. The length of the shell varies between 13 mm and 23 mm. The spire is pinkish or grayish white with a crimson

apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe * Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe *Apex, ...

and numerous close longitudinal dark reddish-brown stripes, often cut into tessellations by the spiral grooves of the surface. The body whorl is dark-purple, with oblique, more or less zig-zag pale lines. 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 a ...

is straightly conical. The

is acute. The sutures are linear. The seven whorls are nearly planulate, the last one obtusely subangular at the periphery. The whorls of the spire are encircled by 5 or 6 more or less granose lirae, spiral moniliform lines; the body whorl with about 13 or 14 in front of the aperture.. The wrinkles of increment are more or less prominent. 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 ...

is rhomboidal. The outer lip is thickened and crenulated within. The thick

peristome Peristome (from the Greek ''peri'', meaning 'around' or 'about', and ''stoma'', 'mouth') is an anatomical feature that surrounds an opening to an organ or structure. Some plants, fungi, and shelled gastropods have peristomes. In mosses In mosse ...

is plicate within. The straight

columella Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (; Arabic: , 4 – ) was a prominent writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. His ' in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture, together with the wo ...

is denticulate, ending abruptly in a strong basal truncation. The operculum is multispiral. This species is rather variable in sculpture; the spaces between the spiral ribs are often occupied by lirulae Suter H. (1913-1915), Manual of New Zealand Mollusca; Wellington, N. Z. :J. Mackay, govt. printer,1913-1915
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Distribution

This marine shell occurs off Southwest Australia to

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and off

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References

* Gray, J.E. 1826. ''Mollusca''. pp. 474–496 in King, P.P. (ed). Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia. Performed between the years 1818 and 1822. London : John Murray Vol. 2. * Wood, W. 1828. ''Index Testaceologicus; or A Catalogue of Shells, British and Foreign, arranged according to the Linnean system''. London : Taylor Supplement, 1-59, pls 1-8. * Menke, C.T. 1843. ''Molluscorum Novae Hollandiae Specimen in Libraria Aulica Hahniana''. Hannover : Hahniana 46 pp * Tenison-Woods, J.E. 1878. ''On some new marine Mollusca''. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 14: 55-65 * Kiener, L.C. 1875. ''Genus Trochus.'' 17, pl. 5 in Spécies général et Iconographie des coquilles vivantes, comprenant la collection du Muséum d'histoire Naturelle de Paris, la collection de Lamarck, celle du Prince Massena (appartenant maintenant a M. le Baron B. Delessert) et les découvertes récentes des voyageurs. Paris : Ballière. * Philippi, R.A. 1850. ''Trochidae''. pp. 121–136 in Küster, H.C. (ed). Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet von Martini und Chemnitz. Nürnberg : Bauer & Raspe Vol. II. * Crosse, H. 1864. ''Description d'espèces nouvelles provenant de l'Australie meridionale''. Journal de Conchyliologie 12: 339-346 * Brazier, J. 1887. ''Trochidae and other genera of South Australia, with their synonyms''. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 9: 116-125 * Pritchard, G.B. & Gatliff, J.H. 1902. ''Catalogue of the marine shells of Victoria. Part V''. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 14(2): 85-138 * Allan, J.K. 1950. ''Australian Shells: with related animals living in the sea, in freshwater and on the land''. Melbourne : Georgian House xix, 470 pp., 45 pls, 112 text figs. * Cotton, B.C. 1959. ''South Australian Mollusca. Archaeogastropoda''. Handbook of the Flora and Fauna of South Australia. Adelaide : South Australian Government Printer 449 pp. * Macpherson, J.H. & Gabriel, C.J. 1962. ''Marine Molluscs of Victoria''. Melbourne : Melbourne University Press & National Museum of Victoria 475 pp. * Ludbrook, N.H. 1978. ''Quaternary molluscs of the western part of the Eucla Basin''. Bulletin of the Geological Survey of Western Australia 125: 1-286 * Phillips, D.A.B., Handreck, C., Bock, P.E., Burn, R., Smith, B.J. & Staples, D.A. (eds) 1984. ''Coastal Invertebrates of Victoria: an atlas of selected species''. Melbourne : Marine Research Group of Victoria & Museum of Victoria 168 pp.

External links

To Biodiversity Heritage Library (20 publications)

To GenBank (5 nucleotides; 1 proteins)

To USNM Invertebrate Zoology Mollusca Collection

To World Register of Marine Species
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q7709747 conica Gastropods described in 1827