Stomatella varia
| Stomatella varia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Drawing with three views of a shell of Stomatella varia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Clade: | Vetigastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Trochoidea |
| Family: | Trochidae |
| Genus: | Stomatella |
| Species: | S. varia |
| Binomial name | |
| Stomatella varia (A. Adams, 1850) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Gena varia A. Adams, 1850 | |
Stomatella varia, common name the variable stomatella, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails.[1]
Description
The size of the shell varies between 6 mm and 17 mm. The polished shell is ear-shaped with an ovate-oblong form.,The back is equally convex. The left side is striated. Its color is buff, varied with white and red. The spire is rather prominent, erect and acuminate.
This is a pretty little species, usually confounded with Stomatella impertusa, but easily distinguished when its profile is examined. The dorsum is equally convex and polished, and the spire is rather prominent, erect and acuminated.[2]
Distribution
This species occurs in the Red Sea and in the Central and East Indian Ocean off Mozambique, Aldabra and Chagos; in the Western Pacific and off Japan, the Philippines, Polynesia and Queensland, Australia.
References
- 1 2 Stomatella varia (A. Adams, 1850). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 1 May 2010.
- ↑ H.A. Pilsbry (1890) Manual of Conchology XII; Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, 1890 (described as Gena varia)
- Adams, A. 1850. An arrangement of Stomatellidae, including the characters of a new genus Cumingia, with some additional generic characters. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1850(18): 29-40, pl. 8
- Hedley, C. 1907. The Mollusca of Mast Head Reef, Capricorn Group, Queensland, part II. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 32: 476-513, pls 16-21
- Salvat, B. & Rives, C. 1975. Coquillages de Polynésie. Tahiti : Papeete 391 pp
- Moolenbeek, R.G. 1995. Gastropods (Gastropoda). pp. 24–186 in Dance, S.P. (ed). Seashells of Eastern Arabia. Dubai : Motivate Publishing. 37, sp. 57
- Sheppard, A (1984). The molluscan fauna of Chagos (Indian Ocean) and an analysis ot its broad distribution patterns. Coral Reefs 3: 43-50