Odostomia hypocurta
Encyclopedia
Odostomia hypocurta is a species
of sea snail
, a marine
gastropod mollusk in the family
Pyramidellidae
, the pyrams and their allies.
are well rounded. They are marked by five broad, strong, deeply incised spiral grooves, that divide the space between the sutures into raised, flattened keels, which are successively a little wider from the summit to the periphery. The periphery of the body whorl
is marked by a groove similar to those above. The base of the shell is rather short and moderately rounded. It is marked by five subequal and subequally spaced spiral grooves which are a little weaker than those on the spire
. The entire surface of the shell is marked by slender lines of growth, and the raised spaces between the spiral grooves are finely spirally striated. The sutures are strongly impressed. The oval aperture
? (outer lip of the specimen is fractured). The columella is strong, curved, revolute and its posterior two-thirds re-enforced by the base. The columellar fold is not visible in the aperture. The operculum
is paucispiral.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
, a marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
gastropod mollusk in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Pyramidellidae
Pyramidellidae
Pyramidellidae, common name the pyram family, or pyramid shells, is a voluminous taxonomic family of mostly small and minute ectoparasitic sea snails, marine heterobranch gastropod molluscs or micromolluscs....
, the pyrams and their allies.
Description
The very elongate-ovate shell- is, bluish-white. The shell measures 4.3 mm. (Nuclear whorls decollated.) The five post-nuclear whorlsWhorl (mollusc)
A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in of numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including Nautilus, Spirula and the large extinct subclass of cephalopods known as the...
are well rounded. They are marked by five broad, strong, deeply incised spiral grooves, that divide the space between the sutures into raised, flattened keels, which are successively a little wider from the summit to the periphery. The periphery of the body whorl
Body whorl
Body whorl is part of the morphology of a coiled gastropod mollusk.- In gastropods :In gastropods, the body whorl, or last whorl, is the most recently-formed and largest whorl of a spiral or helical shell, terminating in the aperture...
is marked by a groove similar to those above. The base of the shell is rather short and moderately rounded. It is marked by five subequal and subequally spaced spiral grooves which are a little weaker than those on the spire
Spire (mollusc)
A spire is a descriptive term for part of the coiled shell of mollusks. The word is a convenient aid in describing shells, but it does not refer to a very precise part of shell anatomy: the spire consists of all of the whorls except for the body whorl...
. The entire surface of the shell is marked by slender lines of growth, and the raised spaces between the spiral grooves are finely spirally striated. The sutures are strongly impressed. The oval aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
? (outer lip of the specimen is fractured). The columella is strong, curved, revolute and its posterior two-thirds re-enforced by the base. The columellar fold is not visible in the aperture. The operculum
Operculum (gastropod)
The operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...
is paucispiral.