Clanculus philippii
A marine snail endemic to southern Australia.
Clanculus philippii, known commonly as Philippi's cone, is a marine gastropod mollusk belonging to the family Trochidae, the top snails. Its shell is very sturdy, conical in shape, and has an angled edge at the periphery, along with a very shallow umbilicus. Shell size ranges from 7 mm to 13 mm. The shell is white, marked with purplish red blotches and radiating zigzag stripes. There are five whorls that are flat and slightly swollen below the grooved sutures. The uppermost whorls, if not worn away, have spiral grooves, while the following whorls are covered with beaded ridges. The last whorl has five coarse beaded ridges on its upper surface, with the fifth forming the periphery. The base of the shell is slightly convex and has six beaded ridges. The spaces between the ridges are marked with fine, oblique grooves. The aperture is rounded and four-sided, with a pearly interior. The outer lip has ridges inside, and the basal lip is curved and slightly toothed. The short columella has a barely noticeable fold above and a tooth below. The umbilicus is only slightly deeper than the point where the straight columella begins. This species is endemic to Australia, found off the coasts of South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Clanculus philippii
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The shell of Clanculus philippii is very solid and conical, angulate at the periphery, with a very shallow umbilicus. Its coloration is white, variegated with maculations and radiating zigzag stripes of purplish red. The five whorls are planulate and turgid below the subcanaliculate sutures; the apical whorls, when not eroded, are spirally striate, the following granose-lirate, and the last bears on its upper surface five coarse beaded lirae, the fifth forming the periphery. The base is slightly convex, bearing six beaded lirae, with interstices finely obliquely striate.
The aperture is rounded-tetragonal and pearly within. The outer lip is lirate within, the basal lip curved and subdenticulate. The short columella is hardly perceptibly folded above and dentate below. The umbilicus perforates scarcely deeper than the insertion of the straight columella. This marine species is endemic to Australia and occurs off South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.
Reader's Guide
Clanculus philippii is a species of sea snail in the family Trochidae, known from the waters off South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. Its shell, ranging from 7 mm to 13 mm, is notable for its solid conical shape, purplish-red zigzag stripes on a white background, and five beaded lirae on the last whorl. The species was described by Philippi in 1843, and subsequent works by Adams (1853), Crosse (1863), Angas (1865), Tenison-Woods (1877, 1879, 1880), Tate (1897), Tate & May (1901), May (1903, 1921, 1923), Hedley (1913), Hardy (1916), Cotton & Godfrey (1934), Cotton (1959), Wilson (1993), and Jansen (1995) have contributed to its documentation. The species is endemic to Australia, with no records outside these regions. Its shell morphology, including the shallow umbilicus and dentate columella, distinguishes it within the genus Clanculus. The species is part of the broader trochid fauna of southern Australia, and its description has been referenced in multiple taxonomic and faunal surveys.
Did You Know?
- The shell size varies between 7 mm and 13 mm.
- The shell is white with purplish red radiating zigzag stripes.
- The columella is short, hardly perceptibly folded above and dentate below.
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