Margarella whiteana explained

Margarella whiteana is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Calliostomatidae, the top snails.^[1]

Distribution

This marine species occurs off the Antarctic Peninsula at depths between 3 m and 28 m.

Description

The animal itself is a pale yellow in color. It has two pairs of short cephalic tentacles with large black eyes on the posterior side of the tentacles.

The shell is small, and wider than it is tall, at up to 7.6mm in height and 8.7 in diameter. The shell is covered in many spiral ribs, and lacks a periostracum. The maximum recorded shell length is 8.7 mm.^[2]

Habitat

Minimum recorded depth is 3 m.^[2] Maximum recorded depth is 28 m.^[2]

References

• Linse, K. 2002. The shelled Magellanic Mollusca: with special reference to biogeographic relations in the Southern Ocean. Theses Zoologicae 34: [iv] + vii + 252 pp. A. R. G. Gantner: Ruggell, Lichtenstein.

Notes and References

1. Bouchet, P. (2010). Margarella whiteana Linse, 2002. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=197259 on 2011-03-17
2. Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLOS One 5(1): e8776. .