Anacithara naufraga facts for kids

Anacithara naufraga is a tiny type of sea snail. It's a marine mollusc (which means it has a soft body, often with a shell) that belongs to a group called gastropods. This snail is part of the family called Horaiclavidae.

What Does It Look Like?

This snail's shell is quite small. It grows to about 6 millimeters (mm) long, which is less than a quarter of an inch. Its width is about 2.3 mm.

The shell is a solid, creamy color and shaped like a narrow spindle (thicker in the middle and tapering at both ends). It has seven whorls, which are the turns or spirals of the shell. The very first two whorls, called the protoconch, are small and smooth.

The shell's surface has a special pattern. It features about eight strong, curved ribs that make the shell's seams (sutures) wavy. These ribs stretch all the way to the bottom of the shell. Between these ribs are wide, gently sloping spaces.

Across both the ribs and the spaces, you can see fine, close spiral lines, like tiny threads. There are about 32 to 36 of these threads on the main body whorl (the largest and last turn of the shell). On the whorl just before the last one, there are about half as many threads. If you look very closely, you might even spot microscopic lines running between these threads.

The opening of the shell, called the aperture, is oval-shaped. The outer lip of the opening has a strong rib, like a protective edge, called a varix. The siphonal canal, which is a short tube at the front of the shell, is also present.

Where Does It Live?

This marine snail is found only in Australia. It lives off the coast of Queensland, making it endemic (meaning it's native and restricted to a certain place) to that region.