''Rimosodaphnella morra'', common name the Morra daphnella, is a
species of
sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...
, a marine
gastropod
The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...
mollusk in the
family 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). . 39 ...
.
Description
The length of the shell varies between 3 mm and 11 mm.
(Original description) The small, acute shell has a sinusigera protoconch, and seven or eight reticulated, full and rounded
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 floral ...
s. The
sculpture consists, on the earlier whorls, of ten or twelve, and, on the
body whorl
The body whorl is part of the morphology of the 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.
In gastropods
In gastropods, the b ...
, of twenty-five equal, rounded, close-set riblets, beginning at the anterior edge of the band, growing stronger and wider to the periphery, after which they again diminish, covering the whorls, and on the last visible nearly to the extreme of 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 ...
. These are crossed by (on the fourth whorl) four, or (on the body whorl) about twenty-five close-set rounded threads, with a tendency to form a little nodule where they cross the summit of the transverse ribs, and pretty even in size. The first one forms a smooth margin to the narrow, but well-defined notch-band, which is crossed by the lines of growth deeply waved, and extends to the suture, which is not appressed. The outer
lip is thin, much produced forward, as in ''
Daphnella'', but the notch is distinct and very deep, with its edges simple and not reflected. The
columella is lightly twisted, without a callus. The siphonal canal is distinct and slightly recurved.
Distribution
''R. morra'' can be found in Atlantic waters, ranging from the coast of
North Carolina south to
Brazil.;
[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. 668.] in the
Caribbean Sea and the
Gulf of Mexico.
References
External links
Biolib.cz: ''Rimosodaphnella morra''Gastropods.com: ''Rimosodaphnella morra''*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rimosodaphnella Morra
Raphitomidae
Gastropods described in 1881