''Turbo gemmatus'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

sea snail Sea snails are slow-moving marine (ocean), marine gastropod Mollusca, molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the Taxonomic classification, taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguishe ...

, a marine

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Turbinidae Turbinidae, the turban snails, are a family of small to large marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Trochoidea.Bouchet, P. (2014). Turbinidae Rafinesque, 1815. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecie ...

, the turban snails.WoRMS (2012). ''Turbo gemmatus'' Reeve, 1848. Accessed through:

World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=534214 on 2012-09-01

Notes

Additional information regarding this species: * Taxonomic status: Some authors place the name in the subgenus ''Turbo (Marmarostoma)''

Description

(Original description by Reeve) The shell grows to a length of 15 mm. The imperforate shell has a somewhat depressed ovate shape. The sutures of the spire are somewhat deeply channelled. 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). In nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral diagra ...

s are beaded throughout with small nodules. Its color pattern is light coral red. The interior is silvered. (Description by M.M. Schepman) The specimens vary much in colour and markings, some specimens are nearly typical, varying from light orange-red to dark coral-red, and a few are olive-green; nearly all the specimens are marked with white spots or flames, often mixed with dark or black granules. Many of them have a row of granules next the suture, forming a necklace of white and black. There is a tendency to have four such zones on the

body whorl The body whorl is part of the morphology (biology), morphology of the gastropod shell, 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 ...

, the second at the shoulder, the third lower, the fourth near the base, occupying as a rule the first, fourth, seventh and eleventh or twelfth row of granules. But as there is some variation in 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 ...

, there may be some rows more or less, in most cases, very small intermediate granules can be seen. The

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

is surrounded by a thicker rib at its base, which may be indicated as crenate, this rib is yellowish-white, with darker yellow in the interstices. This lighter colour extends in a few specimens over the base of the shell. In some specimens, more rows of granules are variegated with dark and white, giving to the shell a very beautiful mottled appearance. The granules are mainly strongly developed, but in two specimens they are somewhat obliterated. The operculum is slightly oval, one specimen being 10 mm in its largest diameter and 9 mm in breadth. The inner surface is covered by a light brown cuticle, darker towards the outer margin and towards the margin of the outer whorls, the number of which seems to be four; the outer one is very broad. The nucleus is subcentral, but approaches the basal and columellar margins. The external surface is porcelain-white, very thick near the left upper part, less so on the right side. It is covered with not very conspicuous, somewhat vermiform rugosities, and has a marked depression on the lower half, slightly to the left, nearly opposite to the nucleus on the internal side. The right margin is smooth and shining.Schepman 1908-1913, The Prosobranchia of the Siboga Expedition; Leyden, E. J. Brill,1908-13
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Distribution

The marine species occurs in the Central Indo-Pacific, the West Pacific and off Australia (

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

)

References

* Reeve, L.A. 1848. ''Descriptions of new species of Trochus and Turbo, chiefly from the collection of H. Cuming''. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1848: 49-52 * Schepman, M.M. 1908. ''Prosobranchia (excluding Heteropoda and parasitic Prosobranchia). Rhipidoglossa and Docoglossa''. With an appendix by Prof. R. Bergh ectinobranchiata Siboga-Expéditie Report 49(1): 1-108, 9 pls - Wilson, B. 1993. ''Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods''. Kallaroo, Western Australia : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 1 408 pp.

External links

Encyclopedia of Life

USNM Invertebrate Zoology Mollusca Collection

World Register of Marine Species
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7853845 gemmatus Gastropods described in 1848