Taniella motutaraensis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Taniella motutaraensis Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Holotype from Auckland War Memorial Museum | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Littorinimorpha |
| Family: | Naticidae |
| Genus: | †Taniella |
| Species: | †T. motutaraensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Taniella motutaraensis (A. W. B. Powell, 1935) | |
| Synonyms[1][2][3] | |
| |
Taniella motutaraensis is an extinct species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc, in the family Naticidae.[2] Fossils of the species date to early Miocene strata of the west coast of the Auckland Region, New Zealand.
In the original description, Powell described the species as follows:
Shell small, solid, oval, smooth except for numerous axial growth lines. Whorls 42⁄4, including a protoconch not clearly marked off, but with a tiny nucleus, and probably about 21⁄2 whorls. Spire blunt, broadly rounded, about one-fifth the height of aperture (suture to basal lip). Suture tangential. Parietal callus peculiar, fairly heavy, widest below as it is coalescent with the funicle, completely filling the umbilicus. The medial part of the callus is surmounted by a prominent tubercle, and the outer edge is bounded by a shallow groove. Basal lip much thickened, especially at the point of contact with the umbilical callus.[4]
The holotype of the species measures 8.9 mm (0.35 in) in height and 7.5 mm (0.30 in) in diameter.[4] The species can be identified due to having a prominent tubercule on its parietal callus, as well as the umbilicus being completely filled.[4]
