Kingdom Animalia Superfamily Buccinoidea Subfamily Nassariinae Genus Nassarius | Class Gastropoda Family Nassariidae Phylum Mollusca Rank Species | |
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Similar Nassarius, Nassarius echinatus, Nassarius globosus | ||
Nassarius hirtus, common name the rough nassa, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.
Contents
Description
The length of the shell attains 30 mm.
The shell is ovate, conical and subturreted. The spire is pointed. The sutures are deep, ornamented in its whole extent, with projecting longitudinal ribs, slightly oblique, pointed at their summit, raised and continued upon the lowest whorls which they crown. These whorls are more convex. The ribs of the lowest gradually disappear with age. At the base of this body whorl are observed also ridges, and very prominent granulations. The aperture is subrotund, white, emarginated and narrowed at the top by a transverse fold of the left lip, and by an angle of the outer lip. The outer lip tis hick, accompanied at its external part, by a very apparent margin, and furnished internally with numerous fine striae. The external color of this species exhibits a reddish ground, with irregular spots, and transverse lines of a deeper tint. The band which surrounds the middle of the body whorl is much wider and darker colored.
Distribution
This marine species occurs off Hawaii and Polynesia