''Collonista verruca'' is a species of

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 ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Colloniidae Colloniidae is a family of small sea snails with calcareous opercula, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Vetigastropoda Vetigastropoda is a major taxonomic group of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks that form a very ancient linea ...

.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Collonista verruca (Gould, 1845). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=833636 on 2021-05-01

Description

The size of the shell attains 4 mm. The small, solid shell has a short ovate-conic shape. it is imperforate or narrowly umbilicate. It is white with numerous revolving series of red or brown tessellations. The five

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 are spirally lirate. The lira is largest at the middle of the whorl and causes sometimes a slight carina there. 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 ...

is slightly but abruptly deflected anteriorly. The circular

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. The white

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 arcuate and wide but not dentate below. The base of the shell has a minute internal denticle. Some specimens are almost entirely red; others are white, with red spots at the periphery. There is some variation in form, also, and in the prominence of the spiral riblets.

Cultural significance

The shells of this species, known in Ni'ihau as , are used to make leis. The species is one of Hawaii's nine state snails.

References

* Poppe G.T., Tagaro S.P. & Stahlschmidt P. (2015). New shelled molluscan species from the central Philippines I. Visaya. 4(3): 15–59.

External links

* http://www.manandmollusc.net/Niihau/Leptothyra-verruca.html *
Gould A.A. (1845). Descriptions of species of land shells, from the Sandwich Islands, supposed to be hitherto undescribed. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History. 2: 26-28

Pease W. H. (1869). Description of new species of marine Gasteropodæ inhabiting Polynesia. American Journal of Conchology. 5: 64-79

Pilsbry, H. A. (1921). Marine mollusks of Hawaii, XIV-XV. Proceedings of The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 72: 360-383
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3169436

verruca A plantar wart is a wart occurring on the bottom of the foot or toes. Its color is typically similar to that of the skin. Small black dots often occur on the surface. One or more may occur in an area. They may result in pain with pressure suc ...

Niihau Gastropods described in 1845 Symbols of Hawaii