Kingdom Animalia Superfamily Muricoidea Subfamily Muricinae Scientific name Pterynotus loebbeckei Rank Species | Class Gastropoda Family Muricidae Genus Pterynotus Phylum Mollusca | |
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Similar Pterynotus, Timbellus miyokoae, Homalocantha, Phyllonotus margaritensis, Chicoreus orchidiflorus | ||
Pterynotus loebbeckei is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.
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Description
Peter Dance (1969) said that the shell of Pterynotus loebbeckei was "the loveliest, most exquisite natural object he has ever seen." The shell is fairly uniform in color and is typically a pastel to bright orange, although white, pastel pink and yellow forms exist. There are 7 to 9 body whorls after the nuclear whorls, each whorl bearing three prominently protruding varices that are often referred to as wings, and six knobs evenly spaced so that there are two knobs between each varix. The shell has a scaley microsculpture and prominent spiral cords which give the shell a lacey appearance, and the prominent "wings" are wavy and smoother than the whorls. The siphonal canal also has a prominent "wing" similar to the varices after which the siphonal canal has a sharp recurved bend.
The aperture is subovate and the operculum is reddish brown. Adult size is from 35 mm to 80 mm in length. Larger shells have more prominent "wings" and have been loosely compared to tropical flowers.
Distribution
This species occurs in the Indo-Pacific region, however it is most often found subtidally throughout the Philippines, in depths to 100 to 250 m.