Halgyrineum louisae
Encyclopedia
Halgyrineum louisae is a species
of predatory sea snail
, a marine
gastropod mollusk in the family
Ranellidae
, the triton snails, triton shells or tritons.
is up to 28 mm high, with a rather high spire
, characteristically flattened along an axis perpendicular to the aperture
. Protoconch
is with 3 whorls
, the protoconch I is less than one whorl with a frosted surface, the protoconch II with a conspicuous sculpture
of axial ribs and spiral cords, both narrower than the interspaces and forming a regular lattice. Teleoconch is with 5-6 rounded whorls. Sculpture of low, subequal spiral cords, as broad as the interspaces, with low and narrow axial ribs forming small knobs at their intersection with the cords. Varixes are situated along the broadest section of the shell, moderately thick, repeated after a little more than half a whorl so that they are slightly and regularly offset along the spire, overrun by the spirals. The aperture is oval; outer lip faintly fluted inside; parietal and columellar edge forming a continuous callus, the parietal edge with a small but well-marked denticle, the columella is faintly tuberculate. Siphonal canal
is open, moderate in length. Shell colour is from very light tan to whitish.
, Hawaii, 180 fathoms (333 m).
Distribution of Halgyrineum louisae include:
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 predatory sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
, 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 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...
Ranellidae
Ranellidae
Ranellidae, common name the triton shells or tritons, is a taxonomic family of small to very large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Littorinimorpha.-Subfamilies:...
, the triton snails, triton shells or tritons.
Description
The 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...
is up to 28 mm high, with a rather high 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...
, characteristically flattened along an axis perpendicular to 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....
. 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...
is with 3 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...
, the protoconch I is less than one whorl with a frosted surface, the protoconch II with a conspicuous 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 axial ribs and spiral cords, both narrower than the interspaces and forming a regular lattice. Teleoconch is with 5-6 rounded whorls. Sculpture of low, subequal spiral cords, as broad as the interspaces, with low and narrow axial ribs forming small knobs at their intersection with the cords. Varixes are situated along the broadest section of the shell, moderately thick, repeated after a little more than half a whorl so that they are slightly and regularly offset along the spire, overrun by the spirals. The aperture is oval; outer lip faintly fluted inside; parietal and columellar edge forming a continuous callus, the parietal edge with a small but well-marked denticle, the columella is faintly tuberculate. Siphonal canal
Siphonal canal
Some sea marine gastropods have a soft tubular anterior extension of the mantle called a siphon through which water is drawn into the mantle cavity and over the gill and which serves as a chemoreceptor to locate food. In many carnivorous snails, where the siphon is particularly long, the structure...
is open, moderate in length. Shell colour is from very light tan to whitish.
Distribution
The type locality is OahuOahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, Hawaii, 180 fathoms (333 m).
Distribution of Halgyrineum louisae include:
- scattered localities in the Indo-Pacific: Hawaii, French Polynesia, the Norfolk RidgeNorfolk RidgeThe Norfolk Ridge is a long submarine ridge running between New Caledonia and New Zealand, about 1300 km off the east-coast of Australia. Little is known about the Norfolk Ridge; however, it generally lies about 2000 m below sea level and consists of Late Cretaceous continental crust. It is...
, New Caledonia, and RéunionRéunionRéunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
, with a depth range 80-460 m. - the Atlantic: Great Mteor, HyèresHyèresHyères , Provençal Occitan: Ieras in classical norm or Iero in Mistralian norm) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France....
and Irving seamounts, rare in 310-460 m.