Admetula cornidei
Encyclopedia
Admetula cornidei is a species
of sea snail
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Cancellariidae
, the nutmeg snails.
is paucispiral with its axis slightly deviated from the main axis. The teleoconch consists of 3 ¼ rounded whorls
, axially crossed by 15 to 20 broad, rounded ribs, less conspicuous at the margin of the oblong aperture (peristome
). The outer lip is slightly crenulated and contains six lirae (fine linear elevations of shelly material). The columella is abaxially inclined and shows three folds with the siphonal fold displaying a noticeable tooth. The shell lacks an umbilicus. The periostracum
is covered with very short hairs along the spiral lines.
, Canary Islands
and Mauritania
at depths between 50 m and 125 m.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Cancellariidae
Cancellariidae
Cancellariidae, common name the nutmeg snails or nutmeg shells, are a family of small to medium-large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Neogastropoda...
, the nutmeg snails.
Description
The size of the thin, ovately oblong shell varies between 9 mm and 12 mm. The color of the shell goes from brown to whitish. The protoconchProtoconch
A protoconch is an embryonic or larval shell of some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod...
is paucispiral with its axis slightly deviated from the main axis. The teleoconch consists of 3 ¼ rounded whorls
Whorl (mollusc)
A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in of numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including Nautilus, Spirula and the large extinct subclass of cephalopods known as the...
, axially crossed by 15 to 20 broad, rounded ribs, less conspicuous at the margin of the oblong aperture (peristome
Peristome
The word peristome is derived from the Greek peri, meaning 'around' or 'about', and stoma, 'mouth'. It is a term used to describe various anatomical features that surround an opening to an organ or structure. The term is used in plants and invertebrate animals, such as in describing the shells of...
). The outer lip is slightly crenulated and contains six lirae (fine linear elevations of shelly material). The columella is abaxially inclined and shows three folds with the siphonal fold displaying a noticeable tooth. The shell lacks an umbilicus. The periostracum
Periostracum
The periostracum is a thin organic coating or "skin" which is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including mollusks and brachiopods. Among mollusks it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in bivalves and gastropods, but it is also found in cephalopods such as the...
is covered with very short hairs along the spiral lines.
Distribution
This species is found in European waters and in the Atlantic Ocean along Western SaharaWestern Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
, Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
at depths between 50 m and 125 m.