''Xanthodaphne leptalea'' 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 ...

Raphitomidae Raphitomidae is a family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.) (2005). "Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families". ''Malacologia'' 47(1-2). . 39 ...

Description

The length of the shell attains 24 mm. (Original description) The shell is of moderate size, rather stout, very thin and fragile, delicately tinted with brown below the chestnut-brown tip. It consists of four obtusely shouldered whorls besides the protoconch. 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 long, rather broad, pinched in anteriorly, forming a moderately long, narrow siphonal canal. The outer

lip The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

is badly broken, but, judging by the lines of growth, sweeps well forward from the posterior sinus, which is as wide as the subsutural band, and deepest next the suture. The

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 very straight with a narrow, very thin, closely adhering layer of enamel. The subsutural band is broad, oblique, crossed by numerous very delicate curved riblets and lines of growth, most conspicuous just at the suture. At the angle of the shoulder just below the periphery there is, on the two upper whorls, a row of small nodules, which gradually disappear on the penultimate whorl and are entirely wanting on the body whorl. The spiral

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

consists of narrow, shallow grooves separated by rather broad, flattened bands of nearly uniform width, which cover the entire surface except the subsutural band and protoconch. Those on the shoulder are a little closer together than elsewhere. Lines of growth are rather indistinct. The protoconch is large, consisting of four conspicuously reticulated, chestnut-brown whorls which increase in size very abruptly from the very small apical whorl. Bush, K. (1893). Reports on the results of dredging under the supervision of Alexander Agassiz, in the Gulf of Mexico (1877-78), in the Caribbean Sea (1878, 79), and along the Atlantic coast of the United States (1880), by the U.S. Coast Survey Steamer "Blake." Lieut.-Com. C.D. Sigsbee, U.S.N., and Commander J.R. Bartlett, U.S.N., Commanding. XXXIV. Report on the Mollusca dredged by the "Blake" in 1880, including descriptions of several new species. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 23(6): 199-244, pl. 1-2
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Distribution

This species occurs in the Atlantic Ocean off

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

at a depth of 2212 m; also off

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

and

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, USA.

References

* Sysoev A.V. (2014). Deep-sea fauna of European seas: An annotated species check-list of benthic invertebrates living deeper than 2000 m in the seas bordering Europe. Gastropoda. Invertebrate Zoology. Vol.11. No.1: 134–155 * 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.

External links

Locard, A., 1897 ''Mollusques testacés''. In: Expéditions scientifiques du Travailleur et du Talisman pendant les années 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, vol. 1, p. 516 p, 22 pls

MNHN, Paris: specimen

MNHN, Paris: holotype
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Xanthodaphne Leptalea leptalea Gastropods described in 1893