''Vexillum articulatum'', common name the articulated mitre, is a species of small

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 ...

, 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

Costellariidae Costellariidae sometimes called the "ribbed miters" is a taxonomic family of minute to medium-sized predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks. This family of snails is also sometimes referred to as ''Vexillum'' miters. The main family ...

, the ribbed miters.

Description

The length of the shell attains 11.4 mm. (Original description) The shell is shortly fusiform and somewhat ventricose. 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 smooth, longitudinally rather obsoletely plicated, slightly tubercled in the middle. The shell is pale pinkish scarlet, encircled with a small white brown-articulated zone. The columella is four-plaited. The shell is pale pinkish scarlet, encircled with a small white brown articulated zone. Tryon (1882), Manual of Conchology IV
/ref>

Distribution

This species occurs in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana.

References

* Sarasúa H. (1978). Especies nuevas de Mitridae (Mollusca: Neogastropoda). Poeyana. 180 1-9. * Sarasúa, H. (1985). Nuevo nombre para Pusia callipicta Sarasúa (Mollusca: Neogastropoda) y lista actualizida de las especies cubanas de la subfamilia Vexillinae. Miscelanea Zoologica. 27: 1-2. * Turner H. 2001. ''Katalog der Familie Costellariidae'' Macdonald, 1860. Conchbooks. 1–100 page(s): 18

External links

E.F. Garcia- On ''Vexillum (Pusia) articulatum'' (Reeve, 1845) and V. (P.) ''trophonium'' (Dall, 1889); American conchologist : quarterly bulletin of the Conchologists of America, v. 39 (2011)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vexillum Articulatum articulatum Gastropods described in 1845