Glaphyrina caudata
Encyclopedia
Glaphyrina caudata is a species
of large sea snail
, a marine
gastropod mollusc in the family
Buccinidae
, the true whelks.
rather small, elongated fusiform, solid, with a moderately long canal. Sculpture consisting of subequal narrow spiral cords,
about 10 on the penultimate whorl, the interspaces shallow, much broader than the cords upon the base, where they have a fine spiral thread; axial sculpture formed by numerous vertical broadly rounded ribs, 15 to 20 on the body whorl
, where they become obsolete below the periphery. Colour light - yellowish, the spirals reddish - brown. Spire
elevated conic, of the same height as the aperture
with canal; outlines straight. Protoconch
of 2 smooth whorls
, small and globose. Whorls 8, regularly increasing, convex, very lightly shouldered, the last somewhat inflated; base excavated. Suture not much impressed. Aperture large, oval, broadly angled above, produced below into a fairly long oblique and open canal, rounded at the base. Outer lip convex, sharp, lightly lirate inside. Columella subvertical, slightly concave. Inner lip narrow, spreading over the parietal wall, narrowed below, and forming the inner edge of the canal. Operculum unknown.
The shell height is up to 49.5 mm, and width up to 21 mm.
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 large sea snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
, a marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
gastropod mollusc 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...
Buccinidae
Buccinidae
Buccinidae is a very large and diverse taxonomic family of large sea snails, often known as whelks or true whelks.True whelks are mostly marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Neogastropoda...
, the true whelks.
Shell description
ShellGastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
rather small, elongated fusiform, solid, with a moderately long canal. Sculpture consisting of subequal narrow spiral cords,
about 10 on the penultimate whorl, the interspaces shallow, much broader than the cords upon the base, where they have a fine spiral thread; axial sculpture formed by numerous vertical broadly rounded ribs, 15 to 20 on 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...
, where they become obsolete below the periphery. Colour light - yellowish, the spirals reddish - brown. Spire
Spire (mollusc)
A spire is a descriptive term for part of the coiled shell of mollusks. The word is a convenient aid in describing shells, but it does not refer to a very precise part of shell anatomy: the spire consists of all of the whorls except for the body whorl...
elevated conic, of the same height as 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....
with canal; outlines straight. Protoconch
Protoconch
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...
of 2 smooth 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...
, small and globose. Whorls 8, regularly increasing, convex, very lightly shouldered, the last somewhat inflated; base excavated. Suture not much impressed. Aperture large, oval, broadly angled above, produced below into a fairly long oblique and open canal, rounded at the base. Outer lip convex, sharp, lightly lirate inside. Columella subvertical, slightly concave. Inner lip narrow, spreading over the parietal wall, narrowed below, and forming the inner edge of the canal. Operculum unknown.
The shell height is up to 49.5 mm, and width up to 21 mm.