''Polyspirella aglaia'' 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 Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

gastropod

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is es ...

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 ...

Pyramidellidae Pyramidellidae, common name the pyram family, or pyramid shells, is a voluminous taxonomic family of mostly small and minute ectoparasitic sea snails, marine heterobranch gastropod molluscs. The great majority of species of pyrams are micr ...

, the pyrams and their allies.Bouchet, P. (2011). ''Polyspirella aglaia'' (Bartsch, 1915). 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 list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific speciali ...

at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=580498 on 2012-01-12

Description

The subdiaphanous, bluish-white shell has an elongate-conic shape. The length of the shell measures 5.3 mm. There are at least two

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). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane flo ...

s in the

protoconch A protoconch (meaning first or earliest or original shell) is an embryonic or larval shell which occurs in some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod. In older texts it is also calle ...

. They are small, depressed helicoid, and obliquely one-third immersed in the first of the succeeding turns. The 8½ whorls of the

teleoconch The gastropod shell is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, a kind of mollusc. The shell is an exoskeleton, which protects from predators, mechanical damage, and dehydration, but also serves for muscle attachment and calcium storage. So ...

are moderately rounded. They are marked by three strong spiral longitudinal grooves (striations) between the sutures on the early whorls, while on the later ones the peripheral cord becomes completely exposed in the suture, giving these whorls four spiral cords. These spiral cords are truncated posteriorly and slope gently anteriorly. They are a little wider than the grooves that separate them. The grooves are crossed by numerous, very slender, somewhat protractive axial riblets. The sutures are scarcely differentiated from the spiral grooves. The periphery of the body whorl is bounded posteriorly by a spiral groove. Anteriorly there is no limiting groove to denote the peripheral cord, which is apparent in the suture on the preceding turns, where the periphery passes evenly into a short, well-rounded base, which is marked by exceedingly fine, spiral striations and lines of growth. The

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 subquadrate. The posterior angle is obtuse. The outer lip is thin, showing the external

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

within, rendered wavy at the edge by the external sculpture. The inner lip is decidedly curved and slightly reflected. It is provided with a weak fold at its insertion. The parietal wall is glazed with a thin callus.P. Bartsch (1915), Report on the Turton Collection of South African Marine Mollusks; United States National museum, bulletin 91 p. 83
/ref>

Distribution

The type specimen was found off

Port Alfred A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

, South Africa.

References

* * Odé, H. (1998). ''Indo-Pacific taxa of turbonilids, excluding those along the Americas''. Texas Conchologist. 34 (2): 33–103

External links

To World Register of Marine Species
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7226965 Pyramidellidae Gastropods described in 1915