Aesopus cassandra
Aesopus cassandra is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Columbellidae, the dove snails.[1]
| Aesopus cassandra | |
|---|---|
| Shell of Aesopus cassandra (holotype in the Australian Museum) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Neogastropoda |
| Family: | Columbellidae |
| Genus: | Aesopus |
| Species: | A. cassandra |
| Binomial name | |
| Aesopus cassandra (Hedley, 1904) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Daphnella cassandra Hedley, 1904 (superseded combination) | |
Description
The length of the shell varies between 5 mm and 15 mm, its diameter between 1 mm and 6 mm.
The shell is small, slender, tall, and moderately solid. Its color is white (possibly bleached). It comprises seven whorls, including a two-whorled exserted protoconch, and is angled at the suture.
The sculpture features small, sharp spiral threads, with three on the earlier whorls and about ten on the body whorl. Above, the threads are widely spaced, but they become crowded towards the base. The interstices are latticed by growth lines. The aperture is narrow and oblong, with a short siphonal canal.[2]
Distribution
This marine species is endemic to Australia and occurs off New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.
References
- WoRMS. "Aesopus cassandra (Hedley, 1904)". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- Hedley, C. (1904). Studies on Australian Mollusca. Part VIII. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 29: 182–211, pls 8–10 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- May, W.L. 1921. A Checklist of the Mollusca of Tasmania. Hobart, Tasmania : Government Printer 114 pp.
- Cotton, B.C. 1957. Australian Recent and Tertiary Species of the Molluscan Family Pyrenidae. Adelaide : Privately published.