Family Buccinidae Tribe Cominellini Higher classification Cominella | Superfamily Muricoidea Subfamily Buccininae Genus Cominella Rank Species | |
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Similar Cominella, Cominella virgata, Cominella adspersa, Cominella glandiformis, Buccinulum vittatum | ||
Cominella maculosa, common name the spotted whelk, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.
Contents
Description
The length of the shell varies between 30 mm and 45 mm.
The ovate, conical shell has a bluish ash color, traversed by distant lines, articulated and generally formed by oblong black points. The spots upon the upper whorls are larger, flamed, more or less numerous. The spire is composed of seven whorls. They are slightly convex, and united by a pretty fine and regular linear suture. The aperture is oblong ovate, slightly longitudinal, smooth and of a chamois-yellow color. The outer lip is thin and sharp.
Distribution
This marine species is endemic to New Zealand and is found off Chatham Island.
References
Cominella maculosa Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA