''Phorcus turbinatus'', common name the turbinate monodont, 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.Gofas, S. (2012). ''Phorcus turbinatus'' (Born, 1780). 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=689179 on 2012-11-23

Description

The size of the shell varies between 15 mm and 43 mm. The very solid and thick, imperforate shell has a conical shape. It is whitish, tinged with gray, yellowish or greenish, tessellated with numerous spiral series of reddish, purple or chocolate sub-quadrangular blotches. The conoid

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

is more or less elevated. The

apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics) A-Bomb Abomination Absorbing Man Abraxas Abyss Abyss is the name of two characters appearing in Ameri ...

is eroded. The about 6

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 slightly convex, with impressed spiral lines between the series of blotches, the last generally descending anteriorly. The base of the shell is eroded in front of 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 ...

. The aperture is very oblique. The thick, smooth 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 ...

is beveled to an edge. It is pearly and iridescent within. The

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 flattened on the face, bluntly lobed within, pearly, backed by an opaque white layer.Tryon (1889), Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
(described as ''Monodonta turbinata'')

Distribution

This marine species occurs in the following locations: * Mediterranean Sea * Greek Exclusive Economic Zone * Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone * Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone (

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

)

References

Bibliography

* Lamarck ( .-B. M.de), 1815-1822: ''Histoire naturelle des animaux sans vertèbres''; Paris * Payraudeau B. C., 1826: ''Catalogue descriptif et méthodique des Annelides et des Mollusques de l'île de Corse''; Paris pp. 218 + 8 pl. * Jeffreys J. G., 1856: ''On the marine Testacea of the Piedmontese coast''; Annals and Magazine of Natural History (2) 17: 155-188 * Bucquoy E., Dautzenberg P. & Dollfus G., 1882-1886: ''Les mollusques marins du Roussillon. Tome Ier. Gastropodes.''; Paris, J.B. Baillière & fils 570 p., 66 pl. * Monterosato T. A. (di), 1888-1889: ''Molluschi del Porto di Palermo. Specie e varietà''; Bullettino della Società Malacologica Italiana, Pisa 13 (1888 889?: 161-180 14 (1889): 75-81 * Pallary P., 1912: ''Catalogue des mollusques du littoral méditerranéen de l'Egypte''; Mémoires de l'Institut d'Egypte 7: 69-207, pl. 15-18 * Nordsieck F., 1974: ''Il genere Osilinus Philippi, 1847 nei mari europei'' ; La Conchiglia 9-10 (67-68): 21-23 * Nordsieck F., 1982: ''Die europäischen Meeres-Gehäuseschnecken. 2. Auflage.''; Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart 539 pp., 38 pl

External links

World Register of Marine Species
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q7187379 turbinatus Gastropods described in 1780