Fautor onustus

Taxobox
name = "Fautor onustus"


image_caption =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Mollusca
classis = Gastropoda
ordo = Archaeogastropoda
familia = Trochidae
genus = "Fautor"
species = "F. onustus"
binomial = "Fautor onustus"
binomial_authority = (Onhner, 1924)
synonyms = "Calliostoma onustum" Onhner, 1924

"Fautor onustus" is a small deepwater sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae.

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand, found off Three Kings Islands and 15 km north west of Cape Maria van Diemen.

Habitat

This deepwater top shell lives at depths of about 90 m.

hell description

The shell is small, elongate-conic, with a tall narrow spire, weakly biangulate at the periphery of the body whorl. The spire whorls are flattened to slightly concave.

The shell coloration is highly iridescent, flashing green, red, blue and purple, but dead shells are opaque whitish.

The shell height is up to 7 mm, and the width is up to 4.5 mm.

References

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