Pulsarella fultoni explained

Pulsarella fultoni, common name the humbug turrid, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Borsoniidae.

Description

The length of the shell varies between 20 mm and 32 mm. The elongate shell has a sharp spire. It has a pale grey color with dark, longitudinal, irregularly scattered strigae, tinted on both sides in a dark color. The shell contains 11 whorls. The sutures are hardly impressed. The body whorl is slightly convex with 7 - 8 carinae. The small aperture is elongate-oval. The outer lip is deeply sinuated. The siphonal canal is very short.[1]

Distinguishing features

The shell is robust with a moderately elevated spire that tapers to a sharp point. The outer lip is thin, featuring a U-shaped anal sinus positioned just below the suture. The surface is adorned with widely spaced spiral cords: one below the apical suture, one at the periphery (aligned with the basal suture), and a third between them. Additionally, several finer cords decorate the base. The spaces between the cords are concave, giving the shell a hollowed appearance. [2]

Fresh specimens range from orange-brown to dark brown, with contrasting white spiral cords. The inner lip and base are a deeper purplish-brown. In dead specimens, colors tend to fade.

Distribution

This marine species is endemic to South Africa and occurs off False Bay, South Transkei and the Agulhas Bank at depths between 20 m and 85 m.

References

Notes and References

  1. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/99299#page/256/mode/1up G.B. Sowerby III, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1888, p. 210, pi. xi. f. 17
  2. 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 . 10.15493/SAEON.PUB.10000001 . 978-1-86868-098-6. 17 October 2024.