Vexillum nitidissimum
| Vexillum nitidissimum | |
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| Shell of Vexillum nitidissimum (syntype at MNHN, Paris) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Turbinelloidea |
| Family: | Costellariidae |
| Genus: | Vexillum |
| Species: | V. nitidissimum
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| Binomial name | |
| Vexillum nitidissimum (Melvill & Standen, 1895)
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Vexillum nitidissimum is a species of small sea snail, marine gastropod mollusk in the family Costellariidae, the ribbed miters.[1]
Description
[edit]The length of the shell attains 9 mm, its diameter 1.5 mm.
(Original description) The very small shell is brown, very shining and smooth. The shell contains six, slightly ventricose whorls. It is longitudinally roundly costate. The aperture is oblong. The outer lip is slightly incrassate. The columella is four-plaited.[2]
(Described as Mitra capricornea Hedley, 1907) The minute shell is slender, conical, solid. It contains five whorls, of which two compose the protoconch.
Colour: various shades of brown from chocolate to ochre, or lilac, usually monochrome, but sometimes with two narrow spiral dark lines on the upper whorls.
Sculpture: the protoconch is smooth, the remainder with broad, wave-like well spaced, radial ribs, about eleven to the whorl, which undulate the suture, continue from whorl to whorl and vanish on the base. The last third of the body whorl is without ribbing. The aperture is narrow, the columella quadruplicate, the folds diminishing rapidly in size downwards. There is a thick callus layer on the inner lip, a stout tubercle beneath the hook of the right insertion, about six deep-seated spiral lyrae on the parietal wall.
The form varies; some are stouter, others more slender.[3]
Distribution
[edit]This marine species occurs off the Philippines and off Lifou Island, New Caledonia; also off Australia (Queensland)
References
[edit]- ^ a b Vexillum nitidissimum (Melvill & Standen, 1895). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 24 April 2010.
- ^ Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R. (1895). Notes on a collection of shells from Lifu and Uvea, Loyalty Islands, formed by the Rev. James and Mrs. Hadfield, with list of species. Journal of Conchology. 8: 84–132, 3 pls.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Hedley, C. (1907). The Mollusca of Mast Head Reef, Capricorn Group, Queensland. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 32: 476-513 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Arnaud, J.P., Berthault, C., Jeanpierre, R., Martin, J.C. & Martin, P. 2002. Costellariidae et Mitridae de Nouvelle Calédonie. Xenophora. Association française de conchyliologie. Supplément 100: 52 pp.
- 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.
External links
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