Odostomia inflata
Encyclopedia
Odostomia inflata is a species
of sea snail
, a marine
gastropod mollusk in the family
Pyramidellidae
, the pyrams and their allies.
besides the nucleus. These are inflated, gently curved over the anterior two-thirds of the whorl between the sutures and more strongly so on the posterior thirdy this portion forming an evenly curved shoulder. The extreme summit of the whorls are slightly flattened and narrow, rendering the sutures well marked. The suture is very minutely impressed, and closely spirally striated The periphery of the body whorl
is subangulated. The base of the shell is attenuated, rather suddenly contracted below the periphery, which gives the space between the periphery and the umbilical area a concave aspect. The entire surface is marked by fine lines of growth and many fine, closely placed spiral lirations, five of which are a little stronger than the rest and divide the space between the sutures into subequal areas. There are about 30 of these threads upon the last
turn between the summit and the periphery and about 60 on the base. The aperture
is very large, patulous anteriorly;. The outer lip
is thin at the edge but very thick within. The columella is decidedly curved, and revolute, re-enforced to the very edge by the attenuated base. It is provided with a strong oblique fold at its insertion. The columellar tooth is transverse and acute. The length of the shell is 6.5 mm.
and Washington
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 thin, ovate shell is white to light ashy, covered under an ash-colored epidermis. The nuclear whorls are decollated.There are four rapidly increasing 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...
besides the nucleus. These are inflated, gently curved over the anterior two-thirds of the whorl between the sutures and more strongly so on the posterior thirdy this portion forming an evenly curved shoulder. The extreme summit of the whorls are slightly flattened and narrow, rendering the sutures well marked. The suture is very minutely impressed, and closely spirally striated 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 subangulated. The base of the shell is attenuated, rather suddenly contracted below the periphery, which gives the space between the periphery and the umbilical area a concave aspect. The entire surface is marked by fine lines of growth and many fine, closely placed spiral lirations, five of which are a little stronger than the rest and divide the space between the sutures into subequal areas. There are about 30 of these threads upon the last
turn between the summit and the periphery and about 60 on the base. The 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....
is very large, patulous anteriorly;. The outer lip
Lip (gastropod)
In the shell of a gastropod mollusk , the margin of the aperture is called the lip or the peristome. In other words, this is a term used to describe part of gastropod shell anatomy....
is thin at the edge but very thick within. The columella is decidedly curved, and revolute, re-enforced to the very edge by the attenuated base. It is provided with a strong oblique fold at its insertion. The columellar tooth is transverse and acute. The length of the shell is 6.5 mm.
Distribution
This species occurs in the Pacific Ocean off CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Washington