Anatoma micalii
| Anatoma micalii | |
|---|---|
| Shell of Anatoma micalii (specimen at the Natural History Museum Rotterdam) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Vetigastropoda |
| Order: | Lepetellida |
| Superfamily: | Scissurelloidea |
| Family: | Anatomidae |
| Genus: | Anatoma S. P. Woodward, 1859 |
| Species: | A. micalii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Anatoma micalii D. L. Geiger, 2012
| |
Anatoma micalii is a species of minute sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc or micromollusc in the family Anatomidae.[1]
Taxonomy
The species was described by malacologist David L. Geiger in 2012 in his comprehensive monograph on little slit shells (Scissurelloidea and related groups).[2] It is placed in the genus Anatoma within the family Anatomidae.
Description
The shell is small, typically attaining a length (or diameter) of 0.6–1 mm, occasionally up to around 1.5 mm in comparative contexts.[2][3] It is biconic to globose in outline with a low to moderately elevated spire of about 2–2⅓ whorls. The protoconch is spotted or distinctly sculptured. The teleoconch features a prominent, raised selenizone (a characteristic slit-band in this family) positioned high on the whorls. Sculpture on the upper part of the last whorl consists of 30–40 coarse axial ribs, markedly coarser than in similar congeners (e.g., compared to forms with 60–70 fine riblets).[4] The shell is generally pearly white and delicate.
A. micalii differs from related species (such as undescribed forms from Skerki Bank or A. tenuisculpta) by its raised selenizone and coarser teleoconch sculpture.[4]
Distribution
This species is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, primarily in the central and eastern basins. The type locality is the Strait of Messina, Italy.[1] It has been recorded from:
- Off Cape Ferrat, France (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region)[5]
- Off Corsica
- NW Aegean Sea, Greece (e.g., Siggitikos Gulf, Halkidiki, at depths around 120 m)[3]
- Additional Mediterranean localities in lower photic to shelf depths.
It occurs in the Mediterranean proper and is not known from extra-Mediterranean waters.[1]
Habitat
The species inhabits subtidal zones from the lower photic zone to continental shelf depths (documented around 120 m in some records), typically on hard substrates or in association with coralligenous or rocky environments typical for slit shells.[3]
References
- ^ a b c "Anatoma micalii D. L. Geiger, 2012". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ a b Geiger, D.L. (2012). Monograph of the little slit shells. Volume 2. Anatomidae, Larocheidae, Depressizonidae, Sutilizonidae, Temnocinclidae. Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Monographs Number 7. pp. 729–1291.
- ^ a b c "Anatoma micalii". Gastropods.com (via idscaro.net). Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ a b Mouna Antit; Serge Gofas; Marco Taviani (2024). "Skerki Bank (Strait of Sicily) is a hotspot of molluscan biodiversity: multiple new records for Tunisian waters and description of three new species". Frontiers in Marine Science. doi:10.3389/fmars.2024.1451567.
- ^ Linked images and records in WoRMS photogallery and Malacopics
