Austrocochlea rudis

Lore & Background

The shell of Austrocochlea rudis is imperforate and has an orbiculate-conical shape. The blunt spire is marked with transversal black lines and oblique longitudinal striae. The columella is subtuberculate, and the smooth lip is black with a golden yellow margin within.

This species is known only from Australian waters, specifically off the coasts of South Australia and Western Australia. It belongs to the family Trochidae, which includes the top snails, a group of marine gastropods.

The species was described in the 19th century, with references including works by Philippi (1849, 1855), Adams (1853), and later authors such as Tate and May (1901), Iredale (1915), Hedley (1916), Cotton and Godfrey (1934), Cotton (1959), and Wilson (1993).

Reader's Guide

Austrocochlea rudis is a species of sea snail in the family Trochidae, documented in multiple 19th- and 20th-century malacological works. Its description by Philippi in 1849 and subsequent mentions by Adams, Tate, Iredale, Hedley, Cotton, and Wilson establish its place in the taxonomic literature. The species is notable for its distinctive shell features: an imperforate, orbiculate-conical shape with a blunt spire bearing transversal black lines and oblique longitudinal striae, a subtuberculate columella, and a smooth black lip with a golden yellow inner margin. Its distribution is restricted to Australian waters, specifically South Australia and Western Australia, where it is considered endemic. The species has been included in modern checklists and molecular databases, such as the Barcode of Life, GenBank, and the World Register of Marine Species, indicating ongoing scientific interest. Its common names—rough periwinkle and roughened austrocochlea—reflect its textured shell surface. The entry in this compendium relies solely on the source article, which provides no information on its ecology, behavior, or conservation status.

Did You Know?

• The shell is imperforate and orbiculate-conical in shape.
• The blunt spire has transversal black lines and oblique longitudinal striae.
• This species is endemic to Australia, occurring off South Australia and Western Australia.