Douglassia minervaensis

Douglassia minervaensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Conoidea
Family: Drilliidae
Genus: Douglassia
Species:
D. minervaensis
Binomial name
Douglassia minervaensis
Fallon, 2016

Douglassia minervaensis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Drilliidae.[1]

Etymology

The Douglassia minervaensis, is named after its type and the place of its only known occurrence, the Minerva Seamount.[2]

Description

The size of an adult shell attains 7.5 mm.

The shell is very small, reaching up to 7.9 mm total length, glossy, and fusiform with a truncated anterior.[2] It has up to 8½ whorls; the last is large (about 59% of total length) and asymmetric, the right side is swollen by a cup-handle-like varix positioned behind the anal sinus about one-quarter turn from the outer lip, giving a lopsided ventral view.[2] The protoconch consists of about 2¾ smooth whorls, the first partly immersed in the second.[2] Early teleoconch whorls bear broad, low ribs; the last two carry high, narrow ribs.[2] On the last whorl, bold axial ribs extend to the anterior fasciole but are strongly reduced or absent within a narrow, concave sulcus.[2] Ribs are narrower than the interspaces, number 7–8 on the penultimate whorl and 6 on the last to the varix, and have acute crests.[2] Growth striae are microscopic.[2] The sulcus is concave and narrow, with broad, low rib remnants to the suture and recurved striae reflecting the anal sinus.[2]

The spiral sculpture consists of 6–8 faint threads on the shell base and 6–8 faint threads on the anterior fasciole.[2] The outer lip is thin, projects slightly, and is mostly missing in the holotype; a stromboid notch is unknown.[2] The anal sinus lies on the whorl shoulder and has a rounded apex.[2] The inner lip is moderately wide, margined, thicker anteriorly, thinnest on the parietal wall, and forms a posterior lobe at the anal sinus.[2] The anterior canal is straight, short, and open, without a notch; the anterior fasciole is not swollen.[2] The Colour of the Douglassia minervaensis is a uniform light golden brown with a lighter, narrow peripheral spiral band, and white on the rib-shoulder crests.[2]

Distribution

This species occurs in the demersal zone of the Western Atlantic Ocean off Bahia, Brazil.

References

  1. ^ a b Bouchet, P. (2016). Douglassia minervaensis Fallon, 2016. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=871982 on 2016-08-23
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Fallon, PHILLIP J. Jr (14 March 2016). "Taxonomic review of tropical western Atlantic shallow water Drilliidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Conoidea) including descriptions of 100 new species". Zootaxa. 4090 (1): 140–141. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4090.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334.

Bibliography