Minolia semireticulata

Minolia semireticulata
Original drawing of a shell of Minolia semireticulata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Clade: Vetigastropoda
Superfamily: Trochoidea
Family: Solariellidae
Genus: Minolia
Species: M. semireticulata
Binomial name
Minolia semireticulata
(Suter, 1908) [1]
Synonyms

Monilea semireticulata Suter, 1908

Minolia semireticulata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Solariellidae.[2]

Description

The height of the shell attains 3.2 mm, its diameter 5 mm. The shell is small, depressed turbinate, umbilicate, thin and fragile. It is spirally lirate. The sculpture consists of numerous slightly elevated and rounded spiral cinguli, six on the penultimate whorl, about 16 on the body whorl. Those on the upper surface have a fine spiral thread in the interstices, which are of about the same width as the riblets. The cinguli on the outer side of the base are finer and closer together. On the inner side three broad slightly crenulated ribs surround the umbilicus, which is also prominently spirally ribbed. The two cinguli below the suture are crossed and beaded by strong and sharp equidistant radiate riblets, dividing the interstices into regular squares. The remainder of the whorls have fine growth-lines.

The colour of the shell is whitish, light horny.

The spire is low, with convex outlines, very little higher than the aperture. The apex is rather blunt. The protoconch is small, globular and contains one smooth and convex whorl. The teleoconch contains four whorls. These are rather rapidly increasing. They are somewhat flattened below the suture, and then convex. The base of the shell is convex. The suture is subcanaliculate. The aperture is circular, slightly iridescent within. The peristome is sharp, the ends approaching and nearly meeting, united by a white parietal callosity. The columella is vertical, arcuate, and slightly expanded. The umbilicus measures about one-third of the diameter. It is deep and scalar.[3]

Distribution

This marine species occurs off New Zealand.

References

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