Kingdom Animalia Superfamily Phasianelloidea Genus Phasianella Phylum Mollusca | Class Gastropoda Family Phasianellidae Scientific name Phasianella variegata Rank Species | |
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Similar Phasianella, Phasianellidae, Phasianella solida, Phasianella australis, Phasianella ventricosa | ||
Phasianella variegata, common name the variegated pheasant, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Phasianellidae.
Contents
Description
The solid shell grows to a height of 2 cm and has an ovate-conic shape. Its pointed, conic spire is higher and more acute than the spire of Phasianella nivosa. The five, somewhat convex whorls are separated by well marked sutures and are somewhat flattened above. The rather small aperture is short ovate, and measures less than half the length of the shell. It is widely rounded below, and angular above. The columella has a flattened callus. The parietal wall has a more or less white callus, and is decidedly thickened near the posterior angle. The color of the shell is variable, often pale with reddish-brown and white dashes and blotches. It is usually flesh tinted, ashen or brown, more or less clouded with darker and lighter shades, and flammulated with dark and light below the sutures, spirally traversed by narrow hair-like lines of brown or red, interrupted by white dots and intervals. The white is sometimes predominate.
Habitat
This species lives among macroalgae in shallow areas.
Distribution
This species occurs in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean off Tanzania, Madagascar and the Mascarene Basin; off Western Australia.