Stiracolpus symmetricus

Stiracolpus symmetricus
	Shell of Stiracolpus symmetricus (as Turritella chordata), illustration from Suter (1908).
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	incertae sedis
Family:	Turritellidae
Genus:	Stiracolpus
Species:	S. symmetricus
Binomial name
	Stiracolpus symmetricus; (Hutton, 1873)
Synonyms
	Stiracolpus delli granti (Marwick, 1957); Stiracolpus delli murdochi (Marwick, 1957); Stiracolpus delli vellae (Marwick, 1957); † Stiracolpus nanulus (Marwick, 1957); Stiracolpus robinae (Marwick, 1957); Stiracolpus shepherdi (Marwick, 1957); Turritella (Colpospira) godeffroyana Donald, 1900; Turritella (Eglisia) symetrica Hutton, 1873 (Original combination); Turritella chordata Suter, 1908; Turritella symmetrica Hutton, 1873; Zeacolpus symmetricus (Hutton, 1873);

Stiracolpus symmetricus, common name : the small turret, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turritellidae.^[1]

Description

The shell is elongate and turreted, with rounded whorls and deep sutures. Sculpture consists of three equal and evenly spaced spiral ribs. The aperture is roundish. The shell is white in colour. Hutton reported a shell length of about 0.67 inches (17 mm) and a breadth of 0.22 inches (5.6 mm), with a spire angle of about 23°.^[2]

Distribution

This marine species is endemic to New Zealand. The type locality is Stewart Island.^[2]

Habitat

Species of Stiracolpus typically live on sandy or muddy substrates in shallow subtidal environments on the continental shelf.^[3]

Genus

Stiracolpus is a genus of turreted marine gastropods endemic to New Zealand. Species in this genus are characterised by high-spired shells with strong spiral sculpture and inhabit soft-sediment marine environments. The genus has an extensive fossil record in New Zealand from the Neogene to Recent.

Fossil record

Fossils attributed to Stiracolpus symmetricus are common in Pleistocene marine deposits throughout New Zealand. Several fossil forms were described as distinct species but are now regarded as synonyms.^[3] ^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Stiracolpus symmetricus (F. W. Hutton, 1873)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
^ ^a ^b Hutton, F. W. (1873). Catalogue of the Marine Mollusca of New Zealand. Wellington: Colonial Museum and Geological Survey Department. p. 30.
^ ^a ^b Beu, Ag (September 2010). "Marine Mollusca of isotope stages of the last 2 million years in New Zealand. Part 3. Gastropoda (Vetigastropoda ‐ Littorinimorpha)". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 40 (3–4): 59–180. doi:10.1080/03036758.2010.500717.

Beu A.G. (2010) Marine Mollusca of isotope stages of the last 2 million years in New Zealand. Part 3. Gastropoda (Vetigastropoda – Littorinimorpha). Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 40(3): 59–180; p. 93

External links

"Stiracolpus symmetricus". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
Beu, A. (2010). Marine Mollusca of isotope stages of the last 2 million years in New Zealand. Part 3. Gastropoda (Vetigastropoda – Littorinimorpha). Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 40(3–4): 59–180

[WoRMS-1] "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Stiracolpus symmetricus (F. W. Hutton, 1873)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 19 March 2026.

[Hutton1873-2] Hutton, F. W. (1873). Catalogue of the Marine Mollusca of New Zealand. Wellington: Colonial Museum and Geological Survey Department. p. 30.

[Beu-2010-3] Beu, Ag (September 2010). "Marine Mollusca of isotope stages of the last 2 million years in New Zealand. Part 3. Gastropoda (Vetigastropoda ‐ Littorinimorpha)". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 40 (3–4): 59–180. doi:10.1080/03036758.2010.500717.

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