Kingdom Animalia Superfamily Trochoidea Genus Cantharidus Phylum Mollusca Rank Species | Clade Vetigastropoda Family Trochidae Scientific name Micrelenchus tenebrosus Higher classification Micrelenchus | |
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Similar Micrelenchus, Cantharidus, Trochidae, Molluscs, Gastropods | ||
Cantharidus tenebrosus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails.
Contents
Description
The shell grows to a length of 6 mm . The solid, conical shell is elevated, imperforate, and rather thick. Its color is dark bluish-black, or with a purple shade. The spire is conoidal. The sutures are slightly impressed. The apex is somewhat obtuse, a trifle eroded and whitish at the tip. The six whorls are very slightly convex, those of the spire encircled by about seven lirae of about the same width as their interstices. The body whorl is very bluntly subangular at the periphery, with about 20 spiral lirae, and fine delicate growth lines. The aperture is rounded-quadrate, oblique, less than ½ the total length of the shell. The outer lip is very narrowly black-edged. It isbordered by a series of short fine sulcations, beyond which there is a porcellaneous thickening. The throat is nacreous, iridescent, the reflections mainly green. The columella is subvertical, a trifle arcuate, rounded and pillar-like, covering the umbilicus above. The parietal wall has a thin whitish callus. The upper angle of the aperture is angular and slightly channeled.
Distribution
This marine species is endemic to New Zealand and occurs off North Island, South and Stewart Island