''Burnupena pubescens'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

sea snail Sea snails are slow-moving marine (ocean), marine gastropod Mollusca, molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the Taxonomic classification, taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguishe ...

, a marine

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusc Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...

Description

The size of an adult shell varies between 40 mm and 50 mm. Very similar to ''B. papyracea''. Also often covered with the encrusting bryozoan '' Alcyonidium nodosum'' and differs mainly in being smaller and having fine longitudinal ridges which cross the spirals to produce a slightly checkered effect, generally not visible under the bryozoan.Branch, G.M., Branch, M.L, Griffiths, C.L. and Beckley, L.E. (2010). ''Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa'' Struik Nature, Cape Town. The ovate shell is elongated and subturreted. It is generally of a clear fawn color, marked with numerous spots of a deep chestnut or reddish color, oblong or quadrangular, alternating with other similar spots of a dull white. The first, oftentimes, form longitudinal bands. The pointed spire is conical and, formed of six slightly convex

whorl A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). In nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral diagra ...

s, the lowest of which is as large as all the others. They are flattened and angular at the upper part, crowned upon the angle by a subgranulated margin. The suture is accompanied at the upper part of each whorl, by a small, slightly convex and undulating margin. Upon the

body whorl The body whorl is part of the morphology (biology), morphology of the gastropod shell, shell in those gastropod mollusks that possess a coiled shell. The term is also sometimes used in a similar way to describe the shell of a cephalopod mollusk ...

are seen nine rounded, transverse, very angular folds. The other whorls are also ornamented with three folds. The spaces between them bear fine transverse striae. The

aperture In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...

is white, ovate and elongated. The thick

columella Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (, Arabic: ) was a prominent Roman writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. His in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture and ancient Roman cuisin ...

is rounded, white and almost straight. The right edge is thin, and slightly sharp.Kiener (1837). General species and iconography of recent shells : comprising the Massena Museum, the collection of Lamarck, the collection of the Museum of Natural History, and the recent discoveries of travellers
Pub. W.D. Ticknor, Boston. Translated from French by David Humphreys Storer. Described as ''Buccinum tigrinum'', p. 27–28.

Distribution

This marine species is found in South African waters off

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

and

KwaZuluNatal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

References

* Kilburn R.N. (1972). ''Taxonomic notes on South African marine Mollusca, with the description of new species and subspecies of Conus, Nassarius, Vexillum and Demoulia''. Annals of the Natal Museum 21(2):391–437 * Branch, G.M. et al. (2002). ''Two Oceans''. 5th impression. David Philip, Cate Town & Johannesburg

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q586656 Buccinoidea (unassigned) Gastropods described in 1858 Taxa named by Heinrich Carl Küster