Pusionella lirata
Encyclopedia
Pusionella lirata is a species
of sea snail
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Clavatulidae
.
This species is also considered a synonym of Pusionella milleti milleti (Petit de la Saussaye, S., 1851)
. The revolving lines are prominent on the body whorl
, where the longitudinal ones are usually subobsolete.
, and particularly along Senegal
.
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...
Clavatulidae
Clavatulidae
Clavatulidae is a taxonomic family of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea.The family is not well differentiated morphologically....
.
This species is also considered a synonym of Pusionella milleti milleti (Petit de la Saussaye, S., 1851)
Description
The size of an adult shell varies between 15 mm and 55 mm. The shell is whitish, or has a yellowish flesh-color, or brown. It is more or less decussated by longitudinal and revolving engraved lines, sometimes forming granulations especially on the 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...
. The revolving lines are prominent on the body whorl
Body whorl
Body whorl is part of the morphology of a coiled gastropod mollusk.- In gastropods :In gastropods, the body whorl, or last whorl, is the most recently-formed and largest whorl of a spiral or helical shell, terminating in the aperture...
, where the longitudinal ones are usually subobsolete.
Distribution
This species occurs in the Atlantic Ocean along West AfricaWest Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, and particularly along Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
.