''Vexillum angustissimum'' 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 varies between 13 mm and 17 mm. This species is remarkable for its very slender form and the punctate striae between the ribs. The folds on the columella correspond to the oblique ridges between the sulci on the cauda of the body whorl. These ridges are spotted with pale brown.

Distribution

This marine species occurs in the Indo-Pacific; also off Australia ( Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia)

References

* Cernohorsky, W.O. 1970. Systematics of the families Mitridae & Volutomitridae (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Bulletin of the Auckland Institute and Museum. Auckland, New Zealand 8: 1-190 * Cernohorsky, W.O. 1978. Tropical Pacific marine shells. Sydney : Pacific Publications 352 pp., 68 pls. * Wilson, B. 1994. Australian marine shells. Prosobranch gastropods. Kallaroo, WA : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 2 370 pp. * Wils, E. & Verbinnen, G. 2002. Red Sea Mollusca: Part 12. Class Gastropoda; Family: Costellariidae. Gloria Maris 41(1-2): 29-37 * Poppe G.T., Guillot de Suduiraut E. & Tagaro S.P. (2006) ''New Costellariidae from the Philippines''. Visaya 1(6): 104–113. * Spencer, H.; Marshall. B. (2009). ''All Mollusca except Opisthobranchia''. In: Gordon, D. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity. Volume One: Kingdom Animalia. 584 pp

External links

Smith E.A. (1903). Marine Mollusca. In: J.S. Gardiner (ed.), 1901-1906. The fauna and geography of the Maldive and Laccadive archipelagoes: being an account of the work carried on and of the collections made by an expedition during the years 1899 and 1900. 2(2): 589-630, pls 35-36.
angustissimum Gastropods described in 1903 {{Costellariidae-stub