Zeacolpus vittatus

Taxobox
name = "Zeacolpus vittatus"


status =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Mollusa
classis = Gastropoda
infraclassis = Apogastropoda
superordo = Caenogastropoda
ordo = Sorbeoconcha
subordo = Cerithiimorpha
superfamilia = Cerithioidea
familia = Turritellidae
genus = "Zeacolpus"
species = "Z. vittatus"
binomial = "Zeacolpus vittatus"
binomial_authority = (Hutton, 1873)
synonyms = "Turritella vittata" Hutton, 1873
"Turritella carlottae" Watson, 1881

"Zeacolpus vittatus" is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Turritellidae.

Distribution

This species is endemic to the North and South Islands of New Zealand.

Habitat

This snail lives at depths of between 8 and 18 m.

hell description

The shell is rather large and solid, tall and slender, with straight outlines, and very little indented at the sutures. Shell sculpture is of from 4 to 6 rather evenly developed primary cords, with several fine threads in each interspace. The outer lip is sinuous, with a deep V-shaped median sinus, and a broad shallower one on the base.

The shell coloration is buff, with the primary cords picked out in reddish-brown.

The shell height is up to 80 mm, and the width is up to 19 mm.

References

* Powell A. W. B., "New Zealand Mollusca", William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1