Boreotrophon stuarti
Encyclopedia
Boreotrophon stuarti is a species
of sea snail
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Muricidae
, the murex snails or rock snails.
, a waxy appearance and texture, a very distinct suture, and a weakly curved, fairly short, slender siphonal canal
. The shell has two nuclear whorls (which are typically eroded) and five to six subsequent whorls. The whorls bear 10 wide blade like varices
which are prominent at the shoulder, where they rise into blunt rounded tips that curve backwards from the aperture
of the shell. The surface texture of the shell appears smooth and waxy, however under magnification microsculpture is visible consisting of minute striations both spirally and longitudinally. The aperture
is an elongated oval in shape. Length 50 to 60 mm.
Original Description by E.A. Smith:
"Testa breviter fusiformis, alba. Anfractus 7, superne planati et angulati lateribis planis costis late lamelliformbus, aliquanto obliquis, erectis, superne ad angulum valde sursum productis dextrosumque curvatis, costis transversis (in anfr. superioribus 2-3, in ultimo 4) aequidistantibus, et sipra longitudinalibus continuis instructi. Apertura irregulariter ovata, inferne in canalem producta. Canalis curvatus, retrorsus, aperturam fere aequans. Columella leviter arcuata, callo tenui extus libera induta. Labrum expansum, costa ultima lamelliformi extus munitum. Long., 53; diam., 21; long. apert., 31; lat. intus, 10 mm."
at extreme low tide and ranges south in deeper water along the West Coast
all the way to San Diego in California
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Muricidae
Muricidae
Muricidae, common name murex snails or rock snails, is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails. With approximately 1,600 living species the Muricidae represent almost 10% of the Neogastropoda. Additionally, 1,200 fossil species have been recognised...
, the murex snails or rock snails.
Description
The shell is bone white to yellow cream in color with an elevated spireSpire (mollusc)
A spire is a descriptive term for part of the coiled shell of mollusks. The word is a convenient aid in describing shells, but it does not refer to a very precise part of shell anatomy: the spire consists of all of the whorls except for the body whorl...
, a waxy appearance and texture, a very distinct suture, and a weakly curved, fairly short, slender siphonal canal
Siphonal canal
Some sea marine gastropods have a soft tubular anterior extension of the mantle called a siphon through which water is drawn into the mantle cavity and over the gill and which serves as a chemoreceptor to locate food. In many carnivorous snails, where the siphon is particularly long, the structure...
. The shell has two nuclear whorls (which are typically eroded) and five to six subsequent whorls. The whorls bear 10 wide blade like varices
Varix (mollusc)
A varix is an anatomical feature of the shell of certain sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs.It is a thickened axial ridge in the shell of some families of gastropods. A varix is located at intervals around the whorl, and is formed by considerable thickening of the outer lip at a resting stage...
which are prominent at the shoulder, where they rise into blunt rounded tips that curve backwards from the aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
of the shell. The surface texture of the shell appears smooth and waxy, however under magnification microsculpture is visible consisting of minute striations both spirally and longitudinally. The aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
is an elongated oval in shape. Length 50 to 60 mm.
Original Description by E.A. Smith:
"Testa breviter fusiformis, alba. Anfractus 7, superne planati et angulati lateribis planis costis late lamelliformbus, aliquanto obliquis, erectis, superne ad angulum valde sursum productis dextrosumque curvatis, costis transversis (in anfr. superioribus 2-3, in ultimo 4) aequidistantibus, et sipra longitudinalibus continuis instructi. Apertura irregulariter ovata, inferne in canalem producta. Canalis curvatus, retrorsus, aperturam fere aequans. Columella leviter arcuata, callo tenui extus libera induta. Labrum expansum, costa ultima lamelliformi extus munitum. Long., 53; diam., 21; long. apert., 31; lat. intus, 10 mm."
Distribution
This species is found in AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
at extreme low tide and ranges south in deeper water along the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
all the way to San Diego in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.