''Calliotropis ottoi'', common name Otto's spiny margarite, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of
sea snail, a marine
gastropod mollusc in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Eucyclidae
Eucyclidae is a family of gastropods in the superfamily Seguenzioidea (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005).
This family has no subfamilies.
Genera
Genera within the family Eucyclidae include:
* '' Amberl ...
.
Description
The size of the shell varies between 6 mm and 18 mm (1/4 to 3/4-inch). The thin and delicate shell is rather large for the genus; it is whitish, brilliantly iridescent or pearly, externally and internally. It has a broad, conical shape. It is turreted, wider than it is high, with a convex base, and deep
umbilicus
Umbilicus may refer to:
*The navel or belly button
*Umbilicus (mollusc), a feature of gastropod, Nautilus and Ammonite shell anatomy
* ''Umbilicus'' (plant), a genus of over ninety species of perennial flowering plants
*Umbilicus urbis Romae
The ...
. The seven
whorls
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).
Whorls in nature
File:Photograph and axial plane floral d ...
are much flattened, with the
suture scarcely impressed. The upper whorls are coronated by two, and the
bodywhorl by three, revolving, strongly nodulous ribs, along which the conical, often acute nodules are very regularly arranged. The first of these rows of nodules is just below the suture. The second is separated from the first by a wide, flat, or slightly concave interspace. The third is not far from the second, and surrounds the periphery, usually corresponding with the line of the suture. The second and third are usually the most elevated. On the base of the shell there are five or six strong, rounded, revolving ribs, part of them usually somewhat nodulous, separated by deep, concave interspaces, rather wider than he rib; one or two additional ones often appear in the umbilical opening, which is funnel-shaped and moderately large, but often partially obstructed by the reflected (turned outwards) edge of the inner
lip
The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...
. The interspaces between all the ribs are covered with close, slightly raised lines of growth, and usually with traces of a thin
epidermis
The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and Subcutaneous tissue, hypodermis. The epidermis layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the ...
. The large
aperture
In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane.
An ...
is somewhat quadrangular. The lip is thin.
The animal has long tentacles and large black eyes. There are four large lateral
cirri
Giovanni Battista Cirri (1 October 1724 – 11 June 1808) was an Italian cellist and composer in the 18th century.
Biography
Cirri was born in Forlì in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Italy. He had his first musical training with his brother ...
on each side, with a group of four or five small intermediate ones. The snout has a broad, bilobed, crescent-shaped expansion in front. The
odontophore
The odontophore is part of the feeding mechanism in molluscs. It is the cartilage which underlies and supports the radula, a ribbon of teeth. The radula is found in every class of molluscs except for the bivalves.
The feeding apparatus can be ex ...
has no large lateral tooth between the inner and outer series.
Tryon (1889), Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
(described as ''Solariella ottoi'')
Distribution
This species occurs in European waters and in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean.
References
* Pollock, L.W. (1998). ''A practical guide to the marine animals of northeastern North America''. Rutgers University Press. New Brunswick, New Jersey & London. 367 pp.
* Vilvens C. (2007) ''New records and new species of Calliotropis from Indo-Pacific''. Novapex 8 (Hors Série 5): 1–72
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3729924
ottoi
Gastropods described in 1844
Taxa named by Rodolfo Amando Philippi