Clanculus scabrosus
A marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae.
Clanculus scabrosus is a marine gastropod mollusk belonging to the Trochidae family, commonly known as top snails. Its shell is thick and solid, measuring 15 to 17 mm in height and 14 to 16 mm in diameter. The shell has a false-umbilicate form, with nearly straight spire outlines and six to seven planulate whorls, the last of which is often constricted. The whorls are carinate at the periphery. The shell’s color is whitish, with longitudinal brown flammulations. The base is marked with narrow brown stripes that radiate outward, sometimes broken into tessellations. Sculpture includes about four spiral cinguli; the middle two are granulose, while the upper and lower are wider and smooth or faintly granose. The convex base has six or seven narrow, weakly granose concentric lirae, with minute concentric striae in the interstices. The oblique aperture is rounded rhomboidal, with a lirate inner surface on the outer lip. The columella and basal lips are thickened and denticulate, and the columella is folded above. The umbilical area is white, and the false umbilicus is very narrow, featuring a spiral sulcus and fold inside. This species is found in marine waters off India and Sri Lanka.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Clanculus scabrosus
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The shell of Clanculus scabrosus varies in height between 15 mm and 17 mm, and in diameter between 14 mm and 16 mm. It is thick and solid, with a false-umbilicate shape and nearly straight spire outlines. The 6 to 7 whorls are planulate, often constricted at the last whorl, and carinate at the periphery. The shell is whitish with longitudinal brown flammulations, and the base is radiately marked with narrow brown stripes that are often broken into tessellations.
The sculpture consists of about four spiral cinguli, of which the middle two are granulose, while the upper and lower are wider and smooth or obsoletely granose. The convex base has 6 or 7 concentric narrow feebly granose lirae, with minutely concentrically striate interstices. The oblique aperture is rounded rhomboidal, the outer lip is lirate within, and the columella and basal lips are thickened and denticulate. The columella is folded above, and the umbilical area is white. The false umbilicus is very narrow, with a spiral sulcus and fold within.
This marine species occurs off India and Sri Lanka.
Reader's Guide
Clanculus scabrosus is documented in the reference work 'Seashells of eastern Arabia' by Bosch, Dance, Moolenbeek, and Oliver (1995), which provides the primary source for its description and distribution. The species is characterized by its thick, solid shell with a false umbilicus and distinctive brown flammulations, features that aid in identification among trochid snails. Its occurrence off India and Sri Lanka places it within the Indian Ocean marine fauna. The detailed shell sculpture—including granulose cinguli, lirate base, and denticulate columella—reflects the morphological complexity typical of the family Trochidae. The species is known only from the cited literature and the World Register of Marine Species, with no additional historical or cultural context provided in the source article.
Did You Know?
- The shell height of Clanculus scabrosus varies between 15 mm and 17 mm.
- Its shell has about four spiral cinguli, with the middle two being granulose.
- The base of the shell is radiately marked with narrow brown stripes, often broken into tessellations.
More in Marine Snails, Part 3 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced