Uvanilla olivacea
Encyclopedia
Uvanilla olivacea is a species
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 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...

, the turban snails.

Distribution

This species is found from La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...

 in the Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...

 southwards to Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...

, in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

.

Description

The shell is greenish brown and roughly an equilateral triangle in profile with a slightly wavy thickened edge on the bottom of the whorl
Whorl
A whorl is a type of spiral or circular pattern.Other meanings of whorl include:* Whorl , used to describe the attachment of sepals, petals, leaves, or branches at a single point...

 and sculpture consisting of fine diagonal spiral ridges. The single most striking feature is a brilliant spot of reddish-orange at the base of the umbilical pit
Umbilicus
Umbilicus may refer to:*Umbilicus , a feature of gastropod, Nautilus and Ammonite shell anatomy*Umbilicus, a synonym for the navel or belly button*Umbilicus , a genus of over ninety species of perennial flowering plants, including:...

 which is boardered by a dark brown to black outer edge. Average height is 55 mm, and average diameter is 65 mm.

Habitat

This sea snail is found intertidally and in shallow water offshore
Offshore
- Finance and Law :* Offshoring, active movement of companies to offshore centres* Offshore financial centre, jurisdictions which transact financial business with non-residents...

in rocky areas.
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