Prothalotia suturalis explained

Prothalotia suturalis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails.^[1]

Description

The height of the shell attains 8 mm, its diameter also 8 mm. The small, solid, imperforate shell has a pyramidal shape. The apex is eroded, but the whorls apparently number six. They are flattened, slightly gradated, the body whorl descending a little at the aperture. The colour is pale yellow, tessellated with small, longitudinal undulating purple spots. The sculpture: low, flat-topped spiral ribs equal to the intervening spaces, on the body whorl twelve, of which half are basal. The aperture is subquadrate. The columella is short and terminates below in a blunt tubercle. The sutures are impressed. The base of the shell is flat. The inner lip is turned inwards and is greenish.^{[2] [3]}

Distribution

This marine species is endemic to Australia and occurs off Northern Queensland and in the Gulf of Carpentaria.^[4]

Further reading

• Adams, A. 1853. Contributions towards a monograph of the Trochidae, a family of gastropodous Mollusca. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1851(19): 150–192

Notes and References

1. Marshall, B. (2013). Prothalotia suturalis (A. Adams, 1853). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=720365 on 2014-02-20
2. https://archive.org/details/manualofconcholo111tryo Tryon (1889), Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
3. https://archive.org/details/proceedingsoflin7602linn C. Hedley (1908), Studies on Australian Mollusca. Part X; Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales v.33 (1908)
4. Wilson, B. 1993. Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods. Kallaroo, Western Australia : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 1 408 pp.