Micrelenchus sanguineus sanguineus

Taxobox
name = "Micrelenchus sanguineus sanguineus"
status =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Mollusca
classis = Gastropoda
subclassis = Prosobranchia
ordo = Archaeogastropoda
superfamilia = Trochacea
familia = Trochidae
genus = "Micrelenchus"
species = "M. sanguineus"
subspecies = "M. sanguineus sanguineus"
trinomial = "Micrelenchus sanguineus sanguineus"
trinomial_authority = (Gray, 1843)
synonyms = "Trochus sanguineus" Gray, 1843
"Cantharidus pupillus" Suter, 1913
"Cantharidus oliveri" Iredale, 1915

"Micrelenchus sanguineus sanguineus" is a subspecies of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells.

Distribution

This subspecies is endemic to New Zealand, south to Banks peninsula in the South Island.

Habitat

This top snail is found in shallow water.

hell description

The shell is tall-conical, solid, imperforate, sculptured with broad flat spirals, separated by deeply incised linear grooves, five to six cords on the penultimate and about 13 on the body whorl and base.

Shell coloration is greenish-olive, crossed obliquely by closely spaced dark red narow stripes. The interior of the aperture is brilliantly iridescent.

The shell height is up to 8.5 mm, and the width is up to 7.25 mm.

References

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