''Gibbula benzi'' 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 ...

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

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 ...

Trochidae The Trochidae, common name top-snails or top-shells, are a family of various sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the subclass Vetigastropoda. This family is commonly known as the top-snails because in many species the shell resembles ...

, the top snails.Rosenberg, G. (2012). ''Gibbula benzi'' (Krauss, 1848). Accessed through:

World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=599740 on 2012-11-23

Description

The size of the shell varies between 7 mm and 12 mm. The thin, perforate shell has an orbicular-conoid shape with irregularly transversely costate striae. The color is various, it is purplish, maculate with whitish, orange-yellow or rose-red, with traces of clear spots at the suture, or else purple-red with white flecks. The 5

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 moderately convex, separated by a distinct suture. 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 ventricose, subangular in the middle. The convex base of the shell is striate. The rotund-quadrate

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 within. The oblique

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 concave and dilated above. The narrow

umbilicus Umbilicus may refer to: *The navel or belly button *Umbilicus (mollusc), a feature of gastropod, Nautilus and Ammonite shell anatomy *Umbilicus (plant), ''Umbilicus'' (plant), a genus of over ninety species of perennial flowering plants *Umbilicus ...

is profound. The slightly elevated, rather narrow, transverse striae are crowded, blunt, and very unequal above, on the base rather regular and elevated. The striae number 4 on the penultimate whorl, about 6 above the periphery of the body whorl, with here and there an intermediate smaller one, and upon the base 10 less elevated ones. The interstices look pitted on account of the elevated incremental striae that cross them. Young examples are carinated, but old ones have the last whorl rounded, wide and very convex. The columella has a somewhat reflexed margin, which is a trifle widened above, slightly covering the umbilicus. It passes imperceptibly into the outer

lip The lips are a horizontal pair of soft appendages attached to the jaws and are the most visible part of the mouth of many animals, including humans. Mammal lips are soft, movable and serve to facilitate the ingestion of food (e.g. sucklin ...

, and is united above with the latter by a very thin white callus. The umbilicus is deep, very narrow, longitudinally very finely striated. It is funnel-shaped at the opening, and is bounded by an obtuse but distinct keel.Tryon (1889), Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
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Distribution

This species occurs in the Indian Ocean from

Saldanha Bay Saldanha Bay () is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, Western Cape, Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay ...

to Northern

Transkei Transkei ( , meaning ''the area beyond Great Kei River,

he river The He River is a tributary of the Xi River in Guangxi and Guangdong provinces in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it ...

Kei''), officially the Republic of Transkei (), was an list of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa f ...

, Rep. South Africa; off

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

References

External links

Biodiversity Heritage Library (4 publications)

World Register of Marine Species

Gaqstropods.com: ''Gibbula (Gibbula) benzi''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5558991

benzi Benzi is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Erick Benzi (born 1959), French music composer * Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656–1740), Italian sculptor * Oreste Benzi (1925–2007), Italian Roman Catholic priest * Roberto Benzi ( ...

Gastropods described in 1848