Fusitriton magellanicus explained
Fusitriton magellanicus, common name the waffle whelk, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae.
Description
The length of the shell reaches up to 145 mm, but is usually less.
The shell is broadly spindle-shaped and relatively lightweight. Its sculpture is reticulate (cross-hatched), with nodules at the intersections, most pronounced on the spire and often weaker on the adult body whorl. The spire may exhibit distinct growth varices, though these can be weak or absent in some cases. The aperture is large, extending into a moderately long, slightly sinuous siphonal canal. [1]
The shell is white, sometimes featuring pinkish spiral ridges. In living specimens, the surface is covered by a bristly, light brown periostracum, with the bristles being especially conspicuous in juvenile shells and arranged in a spiral pattern.
Distribution
This marine species is endemic to South Africaz and occurs off the Agulhas Bank and throughout West coast region at depths between 50 m and 550 m. The most common whelk species occurring on West coast.
References
- Lamarck J.B. (1816). Liste des objets représentés dans les planches de cette livraison. In: Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique des trois règnes de la Nature. Mollusques et Polypes divers. Agasse, Paris. 16 pp.
- Tomlin, J.R. le B. (1947). A new South African cymatiid. Journal of Conchology 22: 245–246
- Smith E.A. (1891). Descriptions of new species of shells from the "Challenger" expedition. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. (1891): 436-445, pls 34-35
- Maxwell, P.A. (2009). Cenozoic Mollusca. Pp 232-254 in Gordon, D.P. (ed.) New Zealand inventory of biodiversity. Volume one. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch.
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Herbert, D.G., Jones, G.J. & Atkinson, L.J. . Phylum Mollusca. In: Atkinson, L.J. and Sink, K.J. (eds) Field Guide to the Offshore Marine Invertebrates of South Africa . 2018 . Malachite Marketing and Media . Pretoria . 289 . 978-1-86868-098-6. 17 October 2024.
