Cantharidus marmoreus
A polished top snail from the Pacific off the Tuamotu Islands.
Cantharidus marmoreus is a marine gastropod mollusk belonging to the Trochidae family, commonly known as top snails. Its shell is rather solid, elongate-conical in shape, and reaches 8 mm in height with a 5 mm diameter. The shell is imperforate, though it has a groove and pit—or even a slight perforation—where the umbilicus would be. Its coloration is whitish, with longitudinal clouding in brown or pink, and often scattered opaque white dots. The surface is polished, and the sculpture features numerous broad, flat, smooth spiral ribs separated by impressed lines. On the upper surface of the body whorl, there are seven of these flat spiral ribs, with the peripheral one being larger. The base of the shell has many concentric striae and about four more deeply impressed grooves spaced apart. The spire is high, with nearly straight lateral outlines, and consists of about eight whorls, each slightly convex, with the last whorl angular at the periphery. The base is a little convex, and the aperture is quadrate. The columella is vertical and obliquely truncate at its base. This species occurs in the Pacific Ocean off the Tuamotu Islands.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Cantharidus marmoreus
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The shell of Cantharidus marmoreus is rather solid, elongate-conical, and imperforate, though it may have a groove and pit or even a slight perforation at the umbilicus. Its color is whitish, longitudinally clouded with brown or pink, often with white opaque scattered dots. The surface is polished, and the sculpture consists of numerous broad flat smooth spirals separated by impressed lines. On the upper surface of the body whorl there are seven such flat spiral ribs, with the peripheral one larger. The base of the shell has numerous concentric striae and about four spaced, more impressed grooves. The spire is high with nearly straight lateral outlines, and the whorls—about eight in number—are each a trifle convex, with the last angular at the periphery. The base is a little convex, the aperture quadrate, and the columella vertical and obliquely truncate at its base.
Reader's Guide
This species is documented from the Pacific Ocean off the Tuamotu Islands, as recorded in a taxonomic note by Cernohorsky published in the Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. Its description provides detailed morphological features that distinguish it within the Trochidae family. The shell's polished surface and distinctive spiral ribbing, along with its clouded coloration and occasional white dots, are key characteristics. The species is known only from the source article and the cited reference, with no further distribution or ecological data provided. Its significance lies in its contribution to the taxonomic understanding of Polynesian marine mollusks, particularly within the genus Cantharidus. The article does not discuss any broader ecological or cultural legacy, but the detailed shell morphology serves as a reference for identifying this species among related top snails.
Did You Know?
- The shell height of Cantharidus marmoreus attains 8 mm and its diameter 5 mm.
- There are seven flat spiral ribs on the upper surface of the body whorl.
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