''Tricolia speciosa'', common name the Mediterranean pheasant, 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

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 ...

Phasianellidae Phasianellidae common name the "pheasant shells" or "pheasant snails" is a family of small sea snails with calcareous opercula, marine gastropod mollusks in the subclass Vetigastropoda Vetigastropoda is a major Taxonomy (biology), taxonomi ...

Description

The height of the shell varies between 7 mm and 13 mm. The thin, shining shell has an ovate-elongate shape. It is white, with alternate red and white short flammules below the sutures, and several revolving series of white spots. The interstices are covered with fine pink or yellowish obliquely descending lines. The five, convex

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 separated by deeply constricting sutures. 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 ...

is long-oval, and rather produced below. The posterior angle is occupied by a heavy callus.

Distribution

This species occurs in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

and in the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

References

* Guérin, M.F.E.1829. Iconographie du règne animal de G. Cuvier: ou, représentation d'après nature de l'une des espèces les plus et souvent non encore figurées de chaque genre d'animaux: Paris, J.B. Baillière * Nordsieck, F. (1973). Il genere Tricolia Risso, 1826 nei mari d'Europa. La Conchiglia. 55-56: 3-10. * Gofas S. (1982). ''The genus Tricolia in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean''. Journal of Molluscan Studies 48: 182–213 * 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

External links

CLEMAM
*
Megerle von Mühlfeld J.C. (1824). Beschreibung einiger neuen Conchylien. Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin. 1(4): 205-221, pl. 7-9

Anton, H. E. (1838). Verzeichniss der Conchylien welche sich in der Sammlung von Herrmann Eduard Anton befinden. Herausgegeben von dem Besitzer. Halle: Anton. xvi + 110 pp

Risso, A. (1826-1827). Histoire naturelle des principales productions de l'Europe Méridionale et particulièrement de celles des environs de Nice et des Alpes Maritimes. Paris, F.G. Levrault. 3(XVI): 1-480, 14 pls

Payraudeau, B. C. (1826). Catalogue descriptif et méthodique des annelides et des mollusques de l'Ile de Corse; avec huit planches représentant quatre-vingt-huit espèces, dont soixante-huit nouvelles. 218 pp. Paris

Bucquoy E., Dautzenberg P. & Dollfus G. (1882-1886). Les mollusques marins du Roussillon. Tome Ier. Gastropodes. Paris: Baillière & fils. 570 pp., 66 pls

Monterosato, T. A. di. (1880). Notizie intorno ad alcune conchiglie delle coste d'Africa. Bullettino della Società Malacologica Italiana. 5 (11–15): 213–233

Monterosato, T. A. di. (1884). Nomenclatura generica e specifica di alcune conchiglie mediterranee. Virzi, printed for the author, Palermo, 152 pp.

Dautzenberg, Ph. (1883). Liste de coquilles du Golfe de Gabès. J. conchyliol. 31: 289-330

Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca. in: Costello, M.J. et al. (eds), European Register of Marine Species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Patrimoines Naturels. 50: 180-213
Phasianellidae Gastropods described in 1824 {{Phasianellidae-stub