Odostomia gloriosa
Encyclopedia
Odostomia gloriosa is a species
of sea snail
, a marine
gastropod mollusk in the family
Pyramidellidae
, the pyrams and their allies.
. The nuclear whorls
are small, obliquely immersed in the first of the succeeding turns, above which a portion of the last two volutions only project. The six post-nuclear whorls are flattened. They are marked by three equal and equally spaced, strong, spiral keels, of which one is at the summit and another about as far above the periphery as the space which separates it from the median keel. The spaces between the spiral keels are deep, rounded grooves, almost as wide as the keels and crossed by numerous, slender, axial threads. The sutures are deeply channeled. These channels are a little more profound than those between the keels. The periphery of the body whorl
is marked by a sulcus
. The base of the shell is short, well rounded, and marked by four subequal and subequally spaced, spiral cords, the spaces between which appear as rather broad sulci and are crossed by slender axial threads. The ovate aperture
is small and very oblique. The posterior angleis obtuse. The outer lip
is thin, showing the external sculpture
within. The inner lip is short, curved, slightly revolute, provided with a strong fold at its insertion. The parietal wall is glazed 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 bluish-white shell is moderately large, measuring 3.1 mm. Its shape is very elongate-ovate, with a very regular, conic spireSpire (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...
. The nuclear 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...
are small, obliquely immersed in the first of the succeeding turns, above which a portion of the last two volutions only project. The six post-nuclear whorls are flattened. They are marked by three equal and equally spaced, strong, spiral keels, of which one is at the summit and another about as far above the periphery as the space which separates it from the median keel. The spaces between the spiral keels are deep, rounded grooves, almost as wide as the keels and crossed by numerous, slender, axial threads. The sutures are deeply channeled. These channels are a little more profound than those between the keels. The periphery 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 marked by a sulcus
Sulcus (anatomy)
A sulcus is a depression or fissure in the surface of an organ, especially the brain.-Elsewhere:* anterior interventricular sulcus* calcaneal sulcus* coronal sulcus* gingival sulcus* gluteal sulcus* interlabial sulci...
. The base of the shell is short, well rounded, and marked by four subequal and subequally spaced, spiral cords, the spaces between which appear as rather broad sulci and are crossed by slender axial threads. The ovate 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 small and very oblique. The posterior angleis obtuse. 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
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...
within. The inner lip is short, curved, slightly revolute, provided with a strong fold at its insertion. The parietal wall is glazed with a thin callus.