Odostomia nitens
Encyclopedia
Odostomia nitens is a species
of sea snail
, a marine
gastropod mollusk in the family
Pyramidellidae
, the pyrams and their allies.
The white shell is thin, sernitransparent, very glossy and shows microscopic growthlines. The are three whorls
besides the nucleus. The suture is very narrow, slightly excavated and margined by the overlapping of the whorls. The umbilicus is lacking. The columellar tooth is represented by a broad, but not conspicuous, fold.
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 length of the shell varies between 2 mm and 2.9 mm.The white shell is thin, sernitransparent, very glossy and shows microscopic growthlines. The are three 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...
besides the nucleus. The suture is very narrow, slightly excavated and margined by the overlapping of the whorls. The umbilicus is lacking. The columellar tooth is represented by a broad, but not conspicuous, fold.
Distribution
This marine species occurs in the following locations:- Atlantic Europe
- Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone
- Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone
- United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone
- AzoresAzoresThe Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
Exclusive Economic Zone - Canary IslandsCanary IslandsThe Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
- Cape Verdes
- European waters (ERMS scope)
- Mediterranean Sea : Greek Exclusive Economic Zone