Turbo argyrostomus
Encyclopedia
Turbo argyrostomus, common name the silver-mouthed turban, is a species
of sea snail
, marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Turbinidae
.
has 20 distinct spiral ribs, mostly flat-topped, some with fluted scales. Colour of the shell is cream with patches of green and brown, and broken lines of black. The apex
is almost always pink. The aperture
is pearly white. The outer surface of the operculum
is granular, slightly greenish-brown.
and in the Indian Ocean along Aldabra
, Chagos, Madagascar
, the Mascarene Basin, Mozambique
and Tanzania
.
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....
, marine 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...
Turbinidae
Turbinidae
Turbinidae, the turban snails, are a family of small to large marine gastropods. Turbinidae have a strong, thick calcareous operculum readily distinguishing them from the somewhat similar Trochidae or top snails, which have a corneous operculum...
.
Subspecies
Four subspecies have been recognized :- Turbo argyrostomus argyrostomus Linnaeus, 1758 (synonyms : Turbo argentata Röding, 1798 ; Turbo argenteus Anton, 1839 ; Turbo canaliculatus Gmelin, 1791 ; Turbo ferrugineus Anton, 1839 ; Turbo permundus Iredale, 1929 ; Turbo princeps Philippi, 1846 ; Turbo psittacinus Philippi, 1846 ; Turbo semicostatus Pease, 1861) : this subspecies has been placed by same authors in the subgenus Turbo (Marmarostoma)
- Turbo argyrostomus argyrostomus f. carduus P. Fischer, 1873
- Turbo argyrostomus lajonkairii (Deshayes, 1839) : this subspecies has been placed by same authors in the subgenus Turbo (Marmarostoma) : synonym of Turbo lajonkairii (Deshayes, 1839)
- Turbo argyrostomus perspeciosus (Iredale, 1929) : (synonym : Turbo speciosus Reeve, 1848) : this subspecies has been placed by same authors in the subgenus Turbo (Marmarostoma)
- Turbo argyrostomus sandwicensis (Pease, 1861) : this subspecies has been placed by same authors in the subgenus Turbo (Marmarostoma) : synonym of Turbo sandwicensis (Pease, 1861)
Description
This species grows to a length of up to 8 cm. The main body whorlWhorl (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...
has 20 distinct spiral ribs, mostly flat-topped, some with fluted scales. Colour of the shell is cream with patches of green and brown, and broken lines of black. The apex
Apex (mollusc)
Apex is an anatomical term for the tip of the mollusc shell of a gastropod, scaphopod, or cephalopod mollusc.-Gastropods:The word "apex" is most often used to mean the tip of the spire of the shell of a gastropod...
is almost always pink. 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 pearly white. The outer surface of 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 granular, slightly greenish-brown.
Distribution
This species and its subspecies are distributed in the Red SeaRed Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
and in the Indian Ocean along Aldabra
Aldabra
Aldabra, the world's second largest coral atoll, is in the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that form part of the Seychelles. Uninhabited and extremely isolated, Aldabra is virtually untouched by humans, has distinctive island fauna including the Aldabra Giant Tortoise, and is...
, Chagos, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, the Mascarene Basin, Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
and Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
.