Neptuneopsis gilchristi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Neptuneopsis gilchristi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A shell of Neptuneopsis gil | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Neogastropoda |
| Family: | Volutidae |
| Genus: | Neptuneopsis |
| Species: | N. gilchristi |
| Binomial name | |
| Neptuneopsis gilchristi G.B. Sowerby III, 1898 | |
Neptuneopsis gilchristi, common name the Gilchrist's volute, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Volutidae, the volutes.[1]
The length attains 240 mm, but is usually between 120 mm and 150 mm. [2]
The shell is large and light. The spire is high with convex ( outward) whorls and indented suture. The sculpture consists of very fine, dense spiral threads. The aperture is wide, somewhat flaring and tapering to a short siphonal canal. The inner lip lacks pleats, but shows a thin, smooth callus glaze. The protoconch (apex) is bud-shaped and disproportionately large. The operculum is smaller than the aperture. [2]
The shell is pale buff to light orange-brown, covered by a thin, matte olive-brown periostracum. Some specimens display faint, diffuse paler spiral bands. [2]
