Herpetopoma fenestratum
| Herpetopoma fenestratum | |
|---|---|
| Original illustration of Herpetopoma fenestratum (as Euchelus fenestratus) from Tate, R. (1893). | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Vetigastropoda |
| Family: | Chilodontaidae |
| Genus: | Herpetopoma |
| Species: | H. fenestratum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Herpetopoma fenestratum (Tate, 1893)[1]
| |
| Synonyms[2][1] | |
| |
Herpetopoma fenestratum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chilodontaidae.[2] The species was originally described as Euchelus fenestratus (Tate, 1893);[1] the spelling fenestrata occasionally found in the literature represents an incorrect subsequent spelling.
Description
The shell is imperforate, oval-conic, solid, and thick, with a conical spire. It has about four and a half whorls with a canaliculate suture. The aperture is rounded and oblique; the outer lip is lirate and the basal margin tuberculate. The columella is concave, nearly straight, and bears a sharp basal tooth followed by a deep notch.[1]
Ornament consists of strong spiral ribs decussated by less elevated oblique ribs, forming rhombic pits. On the penultimate whorl, there are three spiral ribs, with the posterior one smaller, giving a biangulate profile. The body whorl has six ribs, three in front of the periphery.[1]
Colour is white, with reddish-brown spots on the ribs arranged in nearly axial lines.[1]
The height of the shell attains 4 mm, and the diameter is about 3.25 mm.[1]
Distribution
This marine species occurs off South Australia and Western Australia.[1]
Taxonomy
This species was originally described by Tate in 1893 as Euchelus fenestratus[1]
Later, the species was transferred to the genus Herpetopoma, which is grammatically neuter. Because the specific epithet fenestratus is an adjectival form, it was modified to fenestratum to agree in gender with the new genus, resulting in the currently accepted combination Herpetopoma fenestratum.
The spelling Euchelus fenestrata found in some publications represents an incorrect subsequent spelling and is not valid under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Tate, Ralph (6 June 1893). "Some additions to the list of the Marine Gastropoda of South Australia". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia. 17. The Society: 195–196.
- ^ a b "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Herpetopoma fenestratum (Tate, 1893)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- Hedley, C., 1916. A preliminary index of the Mollusca of Western Australia. J. Proc. R. Soc. West. Aust., 1:3-77
- Cotton, B.C. (1945). Southern Australian Gastropoda. Part 1. Streptoneura. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia. 69 (1)
- Wilson, B., 1993. Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods.. Odyssey Publishing, Kallaroo, WA
External links