Africotriton crebriliratus explained

Africotriton crebriliratus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cancellariidae, the nutmeg snails.

Description

The length of the shell attains 14 mm, its diameter 5 mm.

(Original description) The shell is narrowly oblong, with a fulvous hue. It is faintly banded and variegated with brown, becoming pearly white at the apex. The spire is elongately acuminated, slightly convex at the sides. There are 5½ whorls, with the first 1½ whorls smooth and shining, and the subsequent whorls rather convex, irregularly plicate, and varicose.

The shell is spirally finely grooved, and the suture is scarcely impressed. The body whorl is oblong, with rather straight sides and a very short rostrum at the base. The aperture is rather wide in the middle and narrow at each end. The columella is covered with a thin white callus that stands erect over the umbilical region, slightly and irregularly pustulate. The siphonal canal is short, narrow, and slightly recurved. ^[1]

Distribution

This marine species occurs off Port Alfred, South Africa.

References

• Beu, A. G.; Maxwell, P. A. (1987). A revision of the fossil and living gastropods related to Plesiotriton Fischer, 1884 (Family Cancellariidae, Subfamily Plesiotritoninae n. subfam.). With an appendix: Genera of Buccinidae Pisaniinae related to Colubraria Schumacher, 1817. New Zealand Geological Survey Paleontological Bulletin. 54: 1-140.
• Steyn, D. G.; Lussi, M. (2005). Offshore Shells of Southern Africa: A pictorial guide to more than 750 Gastropods. Published by the authors. pp. i–vi, 1–289.
• Hemmen, J. (2007). Recent Cancellariidae. Annotated and illustrated catalogue of Recent Cancellariidae. Privately published, Wiesbaden. 428 pp
• Verhecken A. (2020). New and poorly known species of Cancellariidae (Neogastropoda: Cancellarioidea) from the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific. Gloria Maris. 59(2): 40-89.

External links

• Conchology.be: image

Notes and References

1. https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6427920 Sowerby, G. B. III. (1903). Mollusca of South Africa. Marine Investigations in South Africa. 2(3): 213-232, pls 3-5