Aforia staminea
Encyclopedia
Aforia staminea is a species
of sea snail
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Cochlespiridae
.
grows to a length of 35 mm. This thin shell is translucent white. It is biconically fusiform
, scalar and carinated with spiral threads. The sculpture
of the shell shows coarse, sinous, irregular growth lines. Above the middle of each whorl
, there is a strong carination that projects slightly. The body whorl
shows a tendency to a second carination. The whole surface is covered with unequal and irregular threads as well as by somewhat broken microscopic lines.
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...
Cochlespiridae
Cochlespiridae
Cochlespiridae is a taxonomic family of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.This family is not well differentiated morphologically, and there is poor congruence between the molecular and shell characters. Its limits are uncertain...
.
Description
The high, narrow, shellMollusc shell
The mollusc shell is typically a calcareous exoskeleton which encloses, supports and protects the soft parts of an animal in the phylum Mollusca, which includes snails, clams, tusk shells, and several other classes...
grows to a length of 35 mm. This thin shell is translucent white. It is biconically fusiform
Fusiform
Fusiform means having a spindle-like shape that is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends.* Aneurysms can be classified as saccular or fusiform...
, scalar and carinated with spiral threads. The sculpture
Sculpture (mollusc)
The sculpture of a mollusc shell is the three-dimensional ornamentation on the outer surface, as distinct from the basic shape of the shell itself or colouration. Sculpture may be concave as well as convex. Sometimes it has microscopic detail. Sculpture refers to the calcareous outer layer, not the...
of the shell shows coarse, sinous, irregular growth lines. Above the middle of each whorl
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...
, there is a strong carination that projects slightly. The body whorl
Body whorl
Body whorl is part of the morphology of a coiled gastropod mollusk.- In gastropods :In gastropods, the body whorl, or last whorl, is the most recently-formed and largest whorl of a spiral or helical shell, terminating in the aperture...
shows a tendency to a second carination. The whole surface is covered with unequal and irregular threads as well as by somewhat broken microscopic lines.
Distribution
This species is distributed in the Southern Indian Ocean and along the Kerguelen Islands and Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...