Anacithara exquisita facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Anacithara exquisita |
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| Original image of a shell of Anacithara exquisita | |
| Scientific classification |
Anacithara exquisita is a tiny species of sea snail that lives in the ocean. It's a type of mollusk, which means it has a soft body, often protected by a hard shell. This particular snail belongs to a group called gastropods, which includes snails and slugs. It's part of the family Horaiclavidae.
What Does It Look Like?
The shell of Anacithara exquisita is quite small. It's usually about 4.5 millimeters long and 2 millimeters wide. That's less than half a centimeter!
Imagine a tiny, pure white shell. It's shaped a bit like two cones joined at their wider ends, making it look pointed at both the top and bottom. The shell has six spiral turns, called whorls. The very first part of the shell, when the snail was a baby, has two smooth, raised turns.
The shell also has low, rounded ridges running down its sides. There are about eight of these ridges on the second-to-last spiral turn. These ridges become shorter and more spread out as they go down the shell. The entire surface of the shell is covered with fine, even lines that spiral around it.
The opening of the shell, called the aperture, is open and doesn't have any teeth or bumps inside. There's a noticeable thickened ridge on the shell called a varix. The snail's shell also has a semicircular notch, called a sinus. It has a short, open tube-like extension called a siphonal canal.
Where Does It Live?
This marine species is found only in Australia. When we say it's endemic to Australia, it means it naturally lives nowhere else in the world. You can find Anacithara exquisita off the coast of Queensland.
