Clanculus flagellatus
A marine snail with a granulate shell painted in reddish purple stripes.
Clanculus flagellatus is a marine gastropod mollusk belonging to the Trochidae family, commonly known as top snails. Its shell, which ranges from 12 to 19 millimeters, is conical and features a granular surface with a small opening at the base. The shell is white, overlaid with branching reddish-purple stripes. The whorls are notably convex, especially the upper ones, and the last whorl is rounded and flattened toward the front. The penultimate whorl has six rows of granules, with spaces between them as wide as the ridges themselves, and is marked by oblique striations. The body whorl carries eight rows of granules above and nine on the convex base. The columella is oblique and detached above, with a rough, toothed edge that ends in a prominent tooth below. The outer lip is rough and has teeth on the inside. The base of the shell is somewhat convex and bears nine closely spaced, granulated ridges, though the granules near the umbilicus are only faintly developed. This species is endemic to Australia, found off the coasts of South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Clanculus flagellatus
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The shell of Clanculus flagellatus varies in size between 12 mm and 19 mm. It is white, painted with branching stripes of reddish purple. The whorls are convex, the last rounded, and the base is convex. The penultimate whorl contains six series of granules, with interstices as wide as the ridges, and is obliquely striate. The body whorl has eight series of granules above and nine on the base. The oblique columella is solute above, with a rugose-denticulate edge terminating below in a prominent tooth. The outer lip is rugose and dentate within. The body whorl is rounded, deflected anteriorly and flattened. The base has nine close granulose lirae, and the granules on the border of the umbilicus are but slightly developed. The aperture is about as in Clanculus pharaonius.
Reader's Guide
Clanculus flagellatus is a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, documented in multiple Australian malacological works from the mid-19th to late 20th centuries. Its description by Philippi in 1849 established the species, and subsequent checklists and catalogues by Pritchard & Gatliff (1902), May (1921, 1923), Iredale (1924), Cotton & Godfrey (1934), Macpherson & Gabriel (1962), Cotton (1959), Wilson (1993), and Jansen (1995) have recorded its distribution and morphology. The species is endemic to Australian waters, specifically off South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. Its shell characteristics—such as the granulate sculpture, branching reddish purple stripes, and dentate columella—distinguish it within the genus. The species is listed in the World Register of Marine Species and on Gastropods.com, reflecting its recognition in modern taxonomic databases. No conservation status or ecological notes are provided in the source article.
Did You Know?
- The shell size of Clanculus flagellatus varies between 12 mm and 19 mm.
- The penultimate whorl has six series of granules, while the body whorl has eight.
- The shell is white with branching stripes of reddish purple.
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