''Turris suturalis'' 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 ...

Turridae Turridae is a taxonomic family name for a number of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea. MolluscaBase (2018). Turridae H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 (1838). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Specie ...

, the turrids.

Description

The length of the shell attains 14 mm; its maximum diameter is 2 mm; the aperture is 7.4 mm long. (Original description) The shell has a lanceolate shape. The

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 ...

contains three

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. The fourth whorls contains ten strong vertical riblets, continuing on the next five whorls, but decreasing to six on the body whorl. They cross the entire whorl, but higher at the middle, forming an obtuse angle, marked by a strong revolving riblet. One strong riblet parallel to this is close to the suture, and one below the angle. On the body they increase to over twenty of uniform size. Strong lines of growth cross these throughout, showing a deep sinus, mostly posterior to the angle. 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 slightly twisted. J. G. Cooper. 1894. Catalogue of Californian fossils. (Parts II, III, IV, and V). California State Mining Bureau Bulletin No. 4 1-65
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Distribution

Fossils of this marine species were found in

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

strata in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, USA (age range: 55.8 to 48.6 Ma)

References

* R. E. Dickerson. 1916. Stratigraphy and fauna of the Tejon Eocene of California. University of California Publications Bulletin of the Department of Geology 9(17):363-524 {{DEFAULTSORT:Turris Suturalis suturalis Gastropods described in 1894