''Raphitoma columnae'' is an extinct

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

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 ...

Raphitomidae Raphitomidae is a family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.) (2005). "Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families". '' Malacologia'' 47(1-2). . 3 ...

Description

The length of the shell reaches 23 mm, its diameter 7 mm. Compared with '' Raphitoma harpula'', the shell is longer, the

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 are less convex, the suture is less impressed. The body whorl is shorter and less depressed on top. The axial ribs are hardly oblique. The transverse striae are uniform and don't form nodules when crossing the ribs. The

siphonal canal The siphonal canal is an anatomical feature of the shells of certain groups of sea snails within the clade Neogastropoda. Some sea marine gastropods have a soft tubular anterior extension of the mantle called a siphon through which water ...

is straight, shorter and hardly noticed.Bellardi, L. (1877). I molluschi dei terreni terziarii del Piemonte e della Liguria. Parte II (Pleurotomidae). Stamperia Reale, Torino, 364 pp., 9 pl.

Distribution

Fossils of this marine species were found in

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...

strata of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

References

* Scacchi A. 1835. Notizie intorno alle conchiglie ed a' zoofiti fossili che si trovano nelle vicinanze di Gravina in Puglia. Annali Civili del Regno delle Due Sicilie 6: 75-84; 7: 5-18, 2 pl.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raphitoma Columnae columnae Gastropods described in 1835