''Tritia conspersa'' 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 ...

Nassariidae The Nassariidae, Nassa mud snails (USA), or dog whelks (UK), are a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Neogastropoda. "Dog whelk" also refers to '' Nucella lapillus''. Shell descripti ...

, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

Description

The length of the shell varies between 10 mm and 15 mm.

Distribution

This species occurs in the Atlantic Ocean off the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Mo ...

References

* Cernohorsky W. O. (1984). ''Systematics of the family Nassariidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda).'' Bulletin of the Auckland Institute and Museum 14: 1–356. * Segers W., Rolan E. & Swinnen F. (2008) ''Study and separation of two species treated as Nassarius pfeifferi (Philippi, 1844) (Neogastropoda, Nassariidae).'' Visaya 2(3): 18–28.

External links

* conspersa Gastropods described in 1848 Taxa named by Rodolfo Amando Philippi {{Nassariidae-stub