Clanculus kraussii
A marine top snail with a granose, variably colored shell.
Clanculus kraussii is a marine gastropod mollusk belonging to the family Trochidae, commonly known as top snails. A homonym exists: *Clanculus kraussi* (non-Philippi) Sowerby, 1897, which is actually a synonym for *Clanculus atricatena* J.R. Tomlin, 1921.
The shell, which has an umbilicus, is moderately thick and conoid in shape, ranging from 9 mm to 23 mm in size. Five convex whorls are separated by channeled sutures. The initial whorls are eroded and whitish, while the later ones are rose, ash-gray, or brownish, marked by a few radiating white streaks. Spiral rows of fine beads—six on the penultimate whorl—cover the surface, with the fifth row larger and more prominent, resembling a keel. The body whorl is angled, flat-to-convex underneath, and ringed with concentric bands. About seven of these bands are beaded, and the spaces between them sometimes have fine spiral threads. The aperture is rhomboid; the inner lip is thickened and grooved, and the basal edge is scalloped. The columella has small bumps, twists into a fold above, and becomes indistinctly truncated below. The white umbilical area is spirally folded, with a scalloped rim. The thin parietal callus is wrinkled.
This species is found in the Atlantic Ocean, ranging from Morocco to Angola.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Clanculus kraussii
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The shell of Clanculus kraussii is umbilicate, moderately thick, and conoid in shape. It has five convex whorls separated by canaliculate sutures. The first whorls are eroded and whitish, while the rest are roseus, cinereous, or brownish, ornamented with a few radiating white streaks. The whorls are spirally granose-lirate with six finely beaded lirae on the penultimate whorl, the fifth larger and more prominent, simulating a carina. The body whorl is angulate, plano-convex beneath, and concentrically cingulate with about seven granose cinguli, the interstices sometimes bearing concentric lirulae. The aperture is rhomboidal, the lip within thickened and sulcate, and the basal margin crenulate. The columella is tuberculose, above twisted plicate, below obsoletely truncate. The white umbilical area is spirally plicate with a crenulate margin, and the thin parietal callus is wrinkled.
Reader's Guide
Clanculus kraussii is a species of sea snail in the family Trochidae, documented in the Atlantic Ocean from Morocco to Angola. Its shell size varies between 9 mm and 23 mm, and its description includes detailed features such as granose lirae, a rhomboidal aperture, and a tuberculose columella. The species is also notable for a homonym: Clanculus kraussi (non-Philippi) Sowerby, 1897, which is a synonym of Clanculus atricatena J.R. Tomlin, 1921. This homonymy indicates a historical taxonomic confusion that was later resolved. The species was referenced in Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie (1844–1848), vol. 1846 p. 100, and in Pallary P., 1920: Exploration scientifique du Maroc. Its significance lies in its well-documented shell morphology and its role in clarifying nomenclatural issues within the genus Clanculus.
Did You Know?
- The shell size of Clanculus kraussii varies between 9 mm and 23 mm.
- This marine species occurs in the Atlantic Ocean from Morocco to Angola.
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