Herpetopoma bellum

Herpetopoma bellum is a species of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chilodontidae.[2]

Herpetopoma bellum
Shells of Herpetopoma bellum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Vetigastropoda
Superfamily:
Seguenzioidea
Family:
Chilodontidae
Genus:
Herpetopoma
Species:
H. bellum
Binomial name
Herpetopoma bellum
(Hutton, 1873) [1]
Synonyms
  • Euchelus bellus Hutton, 1873 (original combination)
  • Herpetopoma bella [sic] (incorrect gender ending)
  • Huttonia iricolor T. W. Kirk, 1882
  • Huttonia hamiltoni T. W. Kirk, 1882
  • Euchelus bellus Suter, 1913

Description

The size of the shell varies between 4 mm and 5.5 mm. The small, solid, thick shell has a globose-conic shape, evenly grained all over. it is blackish or pink varied with darker. It is imperforate when adult, and has a groove at the place of the umbilicus. The short spire is conic. The apical whorl is smooth, the following whorl has three granose lirae, the next with 3 or 4; the penultimate has 7 or 8 equal, grained lirae. The interstices are narrow. The body whorl has ten such lirae. The teleoconch contains 5 convex whorls. The last one is globose, descending at the aperture. The rounded aperture is nacre with steel-blue and dark red reflections. It is lirate inside. The concave columella terminates in a tooth, below which there is a narrow notch, and another tubercle or tooth on the basal lip equal in size to the columellar denticle.[3]

Distribution

This marine species occurs off New Zealand.,[4] Chatham Island and Tasmania.

References
  1. Hutton, Cat. Mar. Moll. N. Z., p. 37, 1873
  2. Rosenberg, G. (2012). Herpetopoma bellum. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=598367 on 2012-05-24
  3. Tryon (1889), Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia (described as Euchelus bellus)
  4. Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
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