Diloma subrostrata subrostrata

Taxobox
name = "Diloma subrostrata subrostrata"


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Mollusca
classis = Gastropoda
subclassis = Prosobranchia
ordo = Archaeogastropoda
superfamilia = Trochacea
familia = Trochidae
genus = "Diloma"
species = "D. subrostrata"
subspecies = "D. subrostrata subrostrata"
trinomial = "Diloma subrostrata subrostrata"
trinomial_authority = (Gray, 1835)
synonyms = "Monodonta subrostrata" Gray, 1835
"Labio corrosa" A. Adams, 1853
"Chlorostoma undulosum" A. Adams, 1853
"Trochus attritus" Hombron, and Jacquinot, 1854
"Labio hectori" Hutton, 1873
"Diloma plumbera" Hutton, 1882

"Diloma subrostrata subrostrata", or the mudflat top shell, is a subspecies of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk, in the family Trochidae, the top snails.

Distribution

This top shell is endemic to New Zealand.Found regularly in the Pauatahanui Inlet, north of Wellington.

Habitat

This subspecies lives on mudflats, but prefers a more solid substrate such as shells, stones, or even old car tyres.

Life habits

This top snail feeds on the film of microscopic algae on top of the mud, and it scrapes this up with its radula.

hell description

The shell of this subspecies of top snail is very variable in size, sculpture, and colour pattern, but all specimens have a bright yellow margin to the outer lip, and this may have a continuous inner dark band, or the band may be broken up into a few irregular blotches.

Undamaged specimens are sculptured with sharply raised narrow spiral cords, five on the penultimate and about six on the base; the colour pattern is of closely spaced narrow zigzag dark purplish-brown axial stripes upon a yellowish-drab ground.

The maximum shell height is 32 mm, and maximum width is 29 mm.clear

Description of the soft parts

The body colour of the animal is a base of yellowish-green, with black pigment on the top of the head and on the eye stalks.

References

* Miller M & Batt G, "Reef and Beach Life of New Zealand", William Collins (New Zealand) Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1973
* Powell A. W. B., "New Zealand Mollusca", William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1