Phorcus turbinatus explained

Phorcus turbinatus, common name the turbinate monodont, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails.^{[1] [2]}

Description

The size of the shell varies between 15 mm and 43 mm. The very solid and thick, imperforate shell has a conical shape. It is whitish, tinged with gray, yellowish or greenish, tessellated with numerous spiral series of reddish, purple or chocolate sub-quadrangular blotches. The conoid spire is more or less elevated. The apex is eroded. The about 6 whorls are slightly convex, with impressed spiral lines between the series of blotches, the last generally descending anteriorly. The base of the shell is eroded in front of the aperture. The aperture is very oblique. The thick, smooth outer lip is beveled to an edge. It is pearly and iridescent within. The columella is flattened on the face, bluntly lobed within, pearly, backed by an opaque white layer.^[3]

Distribution

This marine species occurs in the following locations:

• Mediterranean Sea
• Greek Exclusive Economic Zone
• Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone
• Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone (Spain, Canary Islands)

References

• Lamarck ([J.-B. M.] de), 1815-1822: Histoire naturelle des animaux sans vertèbres; Paris
• Payraudeau B. C., 1826: Catalogue descriptif et méthodique des Annelides et des Mollusques de l'île de Corse; Paris pp. 218 + 8 pl.
• Jeffreys J. G., 1856: On the marine Testacea of the Piedmontese coast; Annals and Magazine of Natural History (2) 17: 155-188
• Bucquoy E., Dautzenberg P. & Dollfus G., 1882-1886: Les mollusques marins du Roussillon. Tome Ier. Gastropodes.; Paris, J.B. Baillière & fils 570 p., 66 pl.
• Monterosato T. A. (di), 1888-1889: Molluschi del Porto di Palermo. Specie e varietà; Bullettino della Società Malacologica Italiana, Pisa 13 (1888[1889?]): 161-180 14 (1889): 75-81
• Pallary P., 1912: Catalogue des mollusques du littoral méditerranéen de l'Egypte; Mémoires de l'Institut d'Egypte 7: 69-207, pl. 15-18
• Nordsieck F., 1974: Il genere Osilinus Philippi, 1847 nei mari europei ; La Conchiglia 9-10 (67-68): 21-23
• Nordsieck F., 1982: Die europäischen Meeres-Gehäuseschnecken. 2. Auflage.; Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart 539 pp., 38 pl

External links

• World Register of Marine Species

Notes and References

1. Gofas, S. (2012). Phorcus turbinatus (Born, 1780). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=689179 on 2012-11-23
2. Donald K.M., Preston J., Williams S.T., Reid D.R., Winter D., Alvarez R., Buge B., Hawkins S.J., Templado J. & Spencer H.G. 2012. Phylogenetic relationships elucidate colonization patterns in the intertidal grazers Osilinus Philippi, 1847 and Phorcus Risso, 1826 (Gastropoda: Trochidae) in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 62(1): 35–45
3. https://archive.org/details/manualofconcholo111tryo Tryon (1889), Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia