Septa rubecula

Septa rubecula
Apertural view of Septa rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily: Tonnoidea
Family: Ranellidae
Subfamily: Cymatiinae
Genus: Septa
Species: S. rubecula
Binomial name
Septa rubecula
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[1][2]
  • Murex rubecula Linnaeus, 1758
  • Cymatium rubeculum (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Cymatium scarlatina Perry, G., 1811
  • Lampusia rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Septa scarlatina Perry, 1810
  • Triton (Lampusia) rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Triton rubeculatum Liénard, E., 1877

Septa rubecula, common name : the ruby triton or the red redbreast triton, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ranellidae, the triton snails, triton shells or tritons.[1][3]

Subspecies

Distribution

This species is distributed in the Indian Ocean off Chagos, the Mascarene basin and Tanzania and in the Indo-West Pacific.[2][4]

A shell of Septa rubecula from Red Sea, on display at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano

Description

The shell size of Septa rubecula varies between 25 mm and 55 mm.[2] These moderately small shells are commonly rather solid, ovate and vetricose. The six convex whorls are sculptured with one varix on each whorl and with spiral cords, nodules and knobs. Siphonal canal is moderately long. The external shell surface is quite variable in color. It may be bright or dark red, orange or brown with a small white or yellowish transversal band on whorls and with small white patches on varices. The outer lip is ornamented with 8–10 white prominent denticles. The columella is reddish. The inner surface of the aperture is white. The periostracum is yellowish-brown.[5]

Habitat

Under coral rocks, on sand and coral substrate at depths of 0.5 to 145 m.[6]

Five views of a shell of Septa rubecula

References

  1. 1 2 Septa rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758). WoRMS (2010). Septa rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758). In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=476590 on 9 November 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Gastropods.com : Cymatium (Septa) rubeculum; accessed : 9 November 2010
  3. Biolib
  4. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper
  5. The Veliger, Vol. 9, n. 3
  6. Encyclopedia of Life

Bibliography

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