''Splendrillia subviridis'' 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

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 ...

Drilliidae The Drilliidae are a taxonomic family of small predatory sea snails with high-spired shells. They are classified as marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea. This family has no subfamilies. It consists of about 30 genera and approxi ...

Description

The length of the shell attains 16 mm, its diameter 6 mm. (Original description) The solid, subfusiform shell is greenish white. The interior of 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 dark green. The shell contains 7½

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, including a

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 ...

of two smooth rounded whorls. The

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 ...

consists of numerous strong, smooth, rounded ribs, which are not separated by any intermediate space, and which spring directly from the suture. There are about 15 of these ribs on the penultimate whorl. A deep groove or depression on the upper part of the whorl almost reduces the ribs to vanishing point, above which they reappear with a strong bend towards the left, and give the effect of a row of tubercles at the suture. There is one faint impressed line about the upper third of the body whorl, and a number on the base. The aperture is short and broad, widely open anteriorly, with scarcely any contraction for a

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 ...

. The outer

lip The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

is simple, rounded, with a deep notch at the suture. The

columella Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (; Arabic: , 4 – ) was a prominent writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. His ' in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture, together with the ...

is strongly arched. The lip is broadly expanded over the body whorl, developing a strong callosity where it curves round above the sinus. The operculum is ovate, with an apical nucleus. It is nearly related to ''

Splendrillia woodsi ''Splendrillia woodsi'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Drilliidae.Bouchet, P. (2014). Splendrillia woodsi. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=tax ...

'' (Beddome, 1883), but is distinguished by the long straight ribs—not nodulous—and which continue to the suture, although bent by the sinus groove and by its stouter form and much larger sizeMay, W.L. 1910. ''New marine Mollusca.'' Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 48: 380–398
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Distribution

This marine species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to Australia and occurs off

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

References

* Hedley, C. 1922. ''A revision of the Australian Turridae.'' Records of the Australian Museum 13(6): 213–359, pls 42–56 * May, W.L. 1923. ''An Illustrated Index of Tasmanian Shells: with 47 plates and 1052 species.'' Hobart : Government Printer 100 pp. * Wells, F.E. 1990. ''Revision of the recent Australian Turridae referred to the genera Splendrillia and Austrodrillia''. Journal of the Malacological Society of Australasia 11: 73–117

External links

Tucker, J.K. 2004 ''Catalog of recent and fossil turrids (Mollusca: Gastropoda)''. Zootaxa 682:1–1295
{{DEFAULTSORT:Splendrillia Subviridis subviridis Gastropods of Australia Gastropods described in 1910