''Polystira vibex'' 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 ...
Turridae
Turridae is a taxonomic family name for a number of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea. MolluscaBase (2018). Turridae H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 (1838). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Specie ...
, the turrids.
Description
The length of the shell attains 19.6 mm, its width 4.75 mm.
The shell resembles in a general way the young of ''Polystira albida'' of the same size. 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 ...
is the
same. The spiral
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 ...
resembles that of ''P. albida'' but is flat-topped instead of sharp. The transverse sculpture is less prominent, the spirals somewhat more numerous. The chief character which strikes one on comparing the ''P. vibex'' with ''P. albida'' is that the shell is surrounded with bands of olive-green color, polished, narrow and resident in the epidermis, but visible through the translucent shell in 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 ...
. These bands sometimes fill the spiral channels. Sometimes there are two olive bands separated by a pale one between two of the elevated spirals. Sometimes the flat tops of the spirals are thus colored. In general there will be about ten of these olive stripes on the
body whorl. They extend only over the whorl, the pillar from its junction with the body is destitute of them, and, when fresh, is of a delicate
rose color, which is apt to fade. This white or rosy rostrum contrasts vividly with the striped body and
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. Spires are ...
.
Distribution
''P. vibex'' can be found in Caribbean waters, ranging from the eastern coast of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
south to the
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc bet ...
.
[Tunnell, John W., Jr., Felder, Darryl L., & Earle, Sylvia A., eds. ''Gulf of Mexico Origin, Waters, and Biota, Volume 1: Biodiversity.'' Texas A&M University Press, 2009. 669.]
References
* Rosenberg, G.; Moretzsohn, F.; García, E. F. (2009). Gastropoda (Mollusca) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 579–699 in: Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.
External links
Crosse H. (1865). Description d'espèces nouvelles de la Guadeloupe. Journal de Conchyliologie. 13(1): 27–38, 1 pl Todd J.A. & Rawlings T.A. (2014). ''A review of the Polystira clade — the Neotropic's largest marine gastropod radiation (Neogastropoda: Conoidea: Turridae sensu stricto).'' Zootaxa. 3884(5): 445-491
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polystira Vibex
vibex
Gastropods described in 1889