Prothalotia ramburi, common name Rambur's jewel top shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails.[1][2]
| Prothalotia ramburi | |
|---|---|
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| Apertural view of a shell of Prothalotia ramburi | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Vetigastropoda |
| Order: | Trochida |
| Superfamily: | Trochoidea |
| Family: | Trochidae |
| Subfamily: | Cantharidinae |
| Genus: | Prothalotia |
| Species: | P. ramburi
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| Binomial name | |
| Prothalotia ramburi (Crosse, 1864)
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| Synonyms | |
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Description
editThe size of the shell varies between 7 mm and 20 mm. The solid, imperforate shell has a pointed conical shape. It is crimson with narrow radiating whitish flames on the upper surface, usually extending to the periphery, and an umbilical tract of red and white tessellated. This shell has typically a coral-red or crimson color, flammulated above with whitish. Fully adult examples often show the light flames only upon the upper whorls. The spire is lengthened. The apex is subacute. The sutures are subimpressed. The about 7 whorls are concave below the sutures, convex and swollen at the periphery and on the lower edge of each whorl of the spire. The whole surface is finely spirally lirate, the lirae about as wide as the interstices, which are delicately obliquely striate. The aperture is oval-quadrate, iridescent within and measures less than half the length of shell. The peristome is edged by a row of crimson dots, with a porcellaneous internal thickening which is finely crenulate. The vertical columella is slightly arcuate and is pearly.[3]
Distribution
editThis marine species is endemic to Australia and occurs off South Australia.
References
edit- ^ Bouchet, P. (2012). Prothalotia ramburi (Crosse, 1864). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=573220 on 2012-11-23
- ^ Hickman C.S. (2005) Seagrass fauna of the temperate southern coast of Australia I: The cantharidine trochid gastropods. In: F.E. Wells, D.I. Walker & G.A. Kendrick (eds), The marine flora and fauna of Esperance, Western Australia: 199-220. Western Australian Museum, Perth.
- ^ Tryon (1889), Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia (described as Cantharidus lesueuri var. ramburi)
External links
edit
- Crosse, H. 1864. Description d'espèces nouvelles provenant de l'Australie meridionale. Journal de Conchyliologie 12: 339-346
- World Register of Marine Species
- "Prothalotia ramburi". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.