Demoulia ventricosa

Demoulia ventricosa, common name : the blunt demoulia, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.[1]

Demoulia ventricosa
Apertural view of a shell of Demoulia ventricosa (museum specimen at Naturalis Biodiversity Center)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Neogastropoda
Superfamily:
Buccinoidea
Family:
Nassariidae
Subfamily:
Nassariinae
Genus:
Demoulia
Species:
D. ventricosa
Binomial name
Demoulia ventricosa
(Lamarck, 1816)
Synonyms[1]
  • Buccinum retusum Lamarck, 1822
  • Cassis globulus Menke, 1829
  • Demoulia retusa (Lamarck, 1822)
  • Demoulia ventricosa ventricosa (Lamarck, 1816) · accepted, alternate representation
  • Nassa obtusa Marrat, 1880
  • Nassa retusa (Lamarck, 1822)
  • Nassa ventricosa Lamarck, 1816 (original combination)

There is one subspecies: Demoulia ventricosa nataliae Kilburn, 1972

Description

The shell size varies between 17 mm and 27 mm

The ovate shell is slightly cylindrical and is blunted at its summit. The short spire is flattened. It is composed of five whorls. The two last whorls are much more swollen, and covered upon their whole surface with very fine and very close transverse striae. The suture is very apparent, and a little canaliculated. The white aperture is ovate, narrowed at its upper part and dilated inferiorly. The outer lip is thin and is ornamented interiorly with numerous transverse striae. The smooth columella is arcuated at its base and is covered throughout its whole length with the inner lip, the base of which is a little thicker. The surface of this shell is reddish or violet-colored, with wide, reddish spots. It is ornamented at the upper part of the whorls, and along the suture, with a white band, alternating with irregular deeper spots.[2]

Distribution

This marine species occurs off False Bay, South Africa, and Mozambique.

References
  1. Gofas, S. (2015). Demoulia ventricosa. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=553033 on 2016-05-15
  2. Kiener (1840). General species and iconography of recent shells : comprising the Massena Museum, the collection of Lamarck, the collection of the Museum of Natural History, and the recent discoveries of travellers; Boston :W.D. Ticknor,1837 (described as Buccinum retusum)
  • Cernohorsky W. O. (1984). Systematics of the family Nassariidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Bulletin of the Auckland Institute and Museum 14: 1–356.
  • "Demoulia ventricosa". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
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