Clanculus personatus
A marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae.
Clanculus personatus, commonly called the masked clanculus, is a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails. This sea snail is endemic to Australia, found off the coasts of South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia.
The shell reaches 16 mm in size. It is heavy, solid, low-conical, umbilicated, and keeled. The color is white, sometimes with a faint rose tint, and a row of small rose spots appears above the periphery and occasionally at the suture. The base is white or faintly rose-marked near the outer edge. There are about five slightly convex whorls, separated by groove-like sutures. The spire’s outline is a little convex. The first two whorls are smooth and eroded; the later whorls are granose-lirate, with the penultimate whorl having 5 or 6 series of distinct rounded granules and the last whorl having 11 or 12 series, the 5th or 6th forming the periphery. The spaces between granules are crossed by fine oblique and spiral striulae, which are sometimes absent. The body whorl is keeled at the periphery, slightly bent toward the aperture, and much flattened there. The base is slightly convex, with the middle part concave toward the umbilicus. The tetragonal aperture is very oblique and almost horizontal. The upper lip is straight, with a strong tubercular tooth in the middle. The outer and basal lips are well rounded, thickened, and plicate-denticulate inside. The basal margin is distinctly expanded and curved. The columella is very oblique, concave near the insertion, with its edge barely reflexed and simple, bearing a single triangular projection or tooth below the middle, ending in a very strong, quadrate, biplicate tooth at its base. The parietal wall is wrinkled. The umbilicus penetrates deeper than the columella’s insertion and is bordered by a plicate rib. The peristome is much thickened inside.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Clanculus personatus
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The shell of Clanculus personatus is heavy and solid, with a low conical shape. It is umbilicated and carinated. Its color is white, or suffused with a faint rose tint, with a series of small rose-colored maculations above the periphery and sometimes at the suture. The base of the shell is white or faintly marked with rose around the outer border. The about five whorls are slightly convex, separated by subcanaliculate sutures. The first two whorls are smooth and eroded; the following are granose-lirate, with the penultimate whorl having 5 or 6 series of rounded granules and the last having 11 or 12 series, the 5th or 6th forming the periphery. The interstices are decussated by fine oblique and spiral striulae, sometimes obsolete. The body whorl is carinated at the periphery, lightly deflected toward the aperture, and much flattened there. The base is a trifle convex, the middle portion concave toward the umbilicus. The tetragonal aperture is very oblique and almost horizontal. The upper lip bears a strong tubercular tooth midway; the outer and basal lips are well rounded, thickened and plicate-denticulate within. The columella is very oblique, concave, with a single triangular projection below the middle and a strong, quadrate, biplicate tooth at its base. The umbilicus penetrates deeper than the insertion of the columella and is bordered by a plicate rib. The peristome is much thickened inside.
Reader's Guide
The masked clanculus is notable for its detailed shell morphology, as described in the source article. Its heavy, solid shell with distinct granose-lirate whorls and a tetragonal aperture with internal teeth and plications is characteristic. The species is endemic to Australian waters, specifically recorded from South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The article provides a thorough description of the shell's color, sculpture, and structural features, including the umbilicus and columellar teeth. This entry draws solely from the cited references, which include works by Philippi (1846, 1849), Adams (1853), and later Australian malacologists such as Cotton, Macpherson, and Wilson. The species is part of the genus Clanculus within the family Trochidae, and its common name reflects the masked appearance suggested by its color patterns and ornamentation.
Did You Know?
- The shell attains a size of 16 mm.
- It has about five whorls, the first two smooth and eroded.
- This marine species is endemic to Australia, occurring off South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.
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