Odostomia exara
Encyclopedia
Odostomia exara is a species
of sea snail
, a marine
gastropod mollusk in the family
Pyramidellidae
, the pyrams and their allies.
are smooth and deeply immersed in the first of the succeeding turns, only a part of the last one appearing above it. The five post-nuclear whorls are inflated and somewhat rounded. They are marked by on the first whorl by 8, on the second by 12, on the third by 14, and on the penultimate between the sutures by 20 subequal and equally spaced, low, depressed spiral cords which are separated by narrower channels. The periphery and the base of the body whorl
is inflated, sculptured like the spire
by probably 20 spiral cords. In addition to the spiral sculpture the entire surface is marked by fine incremental lines which are best marked in the spaces between the cords. The aperture
is oval and somewhat effuse anteriorly. The posterior angle is acute. The outer lip
is thin, showing the external sculpture within. The columella is decidedly curved, re-enforced by the attenuated base, free only at its anterior extremity, where it is somewhat revolute. It is provided with a prominent fold at its insertion which appears as the thickened inflection of the columella. The parietal wall is covered with a thin callus.
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
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...
Pyramidellidae
Pyramidellidae
Pyramidellidae, common name the pyram family, or pyramid shells, is a voluminous taxonomic family of mostly small and minute ectoparasitic sea snails, marine heterobranch gastropod molluscs or micromolluscs....
, the pyrams and their allies.
Description
The elongate-ovate shell is subdiaphanous. Its measures 3 mm. The nuclear 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 deeply immersed in the first of the succeeding turns, only a part of the last one appearing above it. The five post-nuclear whorls are inflated and somewhat rounded. They are marked by on the first whorl by 8, on the second by 12, on the third by 14, and on the penultimate between the sutures by 20 subequal and equally spaced, low, depressed spiral cords which are separated by narrower channels. The periphery and the base of 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...
is inflated, sculptured like the 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...
by probably 20 spiral cords. In addition to the spiral sculpture the entire surface is marked by fine incremental lines which are best marked in the spaces between the cords. 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 oval and somewhat effuse anteriorly. The posterior angle is acute. The outer lip
Lip (gastropod)
In the shell of a gastropod mollusk , the margin of the aperture is called the lip or the peristome. In other words, this is a term used to describe part of gastropod shell anatomy....
is thin, showing the external sculpture within. The columella is decidedly curved, re-enforced by the attenuated base, free only at its anterior extremity, where it is somewhat revolute. It is provided with a prominent fold at its insertion which appears as the thickened inflection of the columella. The parietal wall is covered with a thin callus.