''Trochus nigropunctatus'',

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

the black-spotted topshell, 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 ...

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 resembles ...

, the top snails.

Description

The shell is rather largely, excavately umbilicated, and shortly conical. Its color is ashgreen, obliquely flamed with black. 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 flatly convex, spirally very closely gemmed with regular grains. The base is grain-ridged. The interstices are crispately decussated with ridges dotted with black. The dots are conspicuous, distant. The surface of this species is grained with unusual regularity, and the base is very characteristically sprinkled at rather distant intervals with blue-black dots.H. Pilsbry, Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
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Distribution

This marine species occurs off Indo-Malaysia,

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and Australia (

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

)

References

* Reeve, L.A. 1842. ''New species of the genera Trochus and Turbo''. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1842: 184-186 * Reeve, L.A. 1842. ''Conchologia Systematica or Complete System of Conchology: in which the Lepades and Conchiferous Mollusca are described and classified according to their natural organization and habits''. London : Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans Vol. 2 337 pp., pls 131–300. * Lamarck, J.B. 1822. Histoire naturelle des Animaux sans Vertèbres. Paris : J.B. Lamarck Vol. 7 711 pp. (junior homonym of ''Trochus lineatus'' da Costa, 1778) * Blainville, H.M.D. de 1828. ''Vers et Zoophytes. pp. 259-270'' in Levrault, F.G. (ed.). Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles. Paris & Strassburg : Levrault Vol. 52 * Deshayes, G.P. 1843. ''Histoire naturelle des animaux sans vertèbres''. Paris : J.B. Baillière Vol. 9 728 pp * Adams, A. 1853. ''Contributions towards a monograph of the Trochidae, a family of gastropodous Mollusca''. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1851(19): 150-192 * Reeve, L.A. 1862. ''Monograph of the genus Trochus''. pls 1–16 in Reeve, L.A. (ed). Conchologia Iconica. London : L. Reeve & Co. Vol. 13. * Fischer, P. 1876. ''Genres Calcar, Trochus, Xenophora, Tectarius et Risella''. pp. 97–114 in Keiner, L.C. (ed.). Spécies general et iconographie des coquilles vivantes. Paris : J.B. Baillière Vol. 11. * ilsbry, H.A. 1889. ''Manual of Conchology''. Philadelphia : Academy of Natural Sciences Philadelphia Vol. 11 519 pp., pls 1-67. * Hedley, C. 1916. ''A preliminary index of the Mollusca of Western Australia''. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Western Australia 1: 152-226 * Hedley, C. 1918. ''Narrative of an expedition of exploration in North Western Australia by Herbert Basedow.'' Special Report. Mollusca. Transactions of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, South Australian Branch 18: 263-283 * Thiele, J. 1930. ''Gastropoda und Bivalvia''. pp. 561–596 in Michaelsen, W. & Hartmayer, R. (eds). Die Fauna Südwest-Australiens. Jena : Gustav Fischer Vol. 5 * 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. * Wilson, B.R. & Gillett, K. 1971. ''Australian Shells: illustrating and describing 600 species of marine gastropods found in Australian waters.'' Sydney : Reed Books 168 pp * Blackburn, H. & Green, J. 1976. ''Marine shells of the Darwin area''. Darwin : Museums and Art Galleries Board of the Northern Territory pp. 1–23. * Cernohorsky, W.O. 1978. ''Tropical Pacific marine shells''. Sydney : Pacific Publications 352 pp., 68 pls. * Wells, F.E. & Bryce, C.W. 1986. ''Seashells of Western Australia''. Perth : Western Australian Museum 207 pp. * Wilson, B. 1993. ''Australian Marine Shells''. Prosobranch Gastropods. Kallaroo, Western Australia : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 1 408 pp. * Wilson, B. 2002. ''A Handbook to Australian Seashells on Seashores East to West and North to South''. Sydney : Reed New Holland 185 pp.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trochus Nigropunctatus nigropunctatus Gastropods described in 1861