Clionella subventricosa explained

Clionella subventricosa is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Clavatulidae.^[1]

Subspecies:

• Clionella subventricosa kaffraria Kilburn, 1985 (Eastern Cape subspecies)
• Clionella subventricosa subventricosa (E. A. Smith, 1877)

Description

The shell grows to a length of 22 mm.

The ovate, rather dark brown shell has a squat, fusiform shape. The eight whorls are slightly convex. The spiral sculpture shows shallow, well-spaced grooves. The axial ribs are rounded and number 11-14 per whorl. The shoulder angle lies below the middle of the whorl. The periphery is flattened so that body whorl is weakly biangulate. The aperture is rather large with a rather narrow, slightly notched siphonal canal. The color inside the aperture shows various shades of pale brown. The anal sinus is very shallow.^[2]

Distribution

This marine species occurs from False Bay to Cape Agulhas, South Africa

References

• Kilburn, R.N. (1985). Turridae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of southern Africa and Mozambique. Part 2. Subfamily Clavatulinae. Annals of the Natal Museum 26(2), 417–470
• Steyn, D.G. & Lussi, M. (1998) Marine Shells of South Africa. An Illustrated Collector's Guide to Beached Shells. Ekogilde Publishers, Hartebeespoort, South Africa, ii + 264 pp. page(s): 150

Notes and References

1. P. Bouchet . Yu. I. Kantor . A. Sysoev . N. Puillandre . 2011 . A new operational classification of the Conoidea (Gastropoda) . . 77 . 3 . 273–308 . 10.1093/mollus/eyr017. free .
2. Smith, E.A. (1877). "Diagnoses of new Species of Pleurotomidae in the British Museum". The Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Including Zoology, Botany, and Geology. vol. xix. p. 499.