Clavatula muricata
Encyclopedia
Clavatula muricata is a species
of sea snail
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Clavatulidae
.
are smooth and concave, with a sutural band of tubercles, sometimes becoming spinose. The periphery of the shell is angulated, and tuberculate, as well as the body whorl
below it. This is caused by rude curved longitudinal ribs crossed by the revolving sculpture. The color of the shell is light yellowish brown, sometimes fasciated. The aperture
is occasionally light violaceous, but mostly white. This species varies much in form and in the degree of development of the tubercles and spines.
and from Senegal
to Gabon
;
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...
Clavatulidae
Clavatulidae
Clavatulidae is a taxonomic family of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.The family is not well differentiated morphologically....
.
Description
The size of an adult shell varies between 20 mm and 45 mm. The upper portion of the whorlsWhorl (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...
are smooth and concave, with a sutural band of tubercles, sometimes becoming spinose. The periphery of the shell is angulated, and tuberculate, as well as 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...
below it. This is caused by rude curved longitudinal ribs crossed by the revolving sculpture. The color of the shell is light yellowish brown, sometimes fasciated. The aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
is occasionally light violaceous, but mostly white. This species varies much in form and in the degree of development of the tubercles and spines.
Distribution
This species occurs in the Atlantic Ocean along São Tomé and PríncipeSão Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, located about apart and about , respectively, off...
and from Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
to Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
;