Asperdaphne perissa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Asperdaphne perissa |
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| Original image of a shell of Asperdaphne perissa | |
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Mangelia perissa Hedley, 1909 |
Asperdaphne perissa is a fascinating type of sea snail. It's a small mollusk that lives in the ocean. This snail belongs to a group called gastropods, which includes all snails and slugs. It is part of the Raphitomidae family.
Contents
Discovering the Asperdaphne perissa Shell
This sea snail has a shell that is quite small. It measures about 7.4 millimeters long. That's less than a centimeter! Its width is around 2.9 millimeters.
What Does the Shell Look Like?
The shell of Asperdaphne perissa is thin and shaped like an oval that tapers at both ends. It has a pointed top, called a spire. The shell is made up of five whorls, which are like the turns of a spiral staircase. The very first two whorls are called the protoconch. These early whorls have tiny spiral grooves that look like dots.
The main color of the shell is a dull white. However, the protoconch, or the very tip, has a cinnamon (light brown) color.
Shell Patterns and Textures
The shell has interesting patterns. It features spiral lines or "threads" that are the most noticeable part of its design. On the largest part of the shell, called the body whorl, there are about thirty of these spiral threads. They are strong and spaced far apart at the bottom, but become weaker and closer together near the middle. They get stronger again towards the back of the siphonal canal, which is a short, wide tube at the bottom of the shell.
Older parts of the shell have fewer spiral threads. For example, the whorl just before the body whorl has six, then earlier ones have three, and then two. The shell also has lines that run across it, called "radials." These are stronger on the younger parts of the shell but become less noticeable on the older parts. The spiral threads always cross over the radial lines.
The Shell's Opening
The opening of the shell is called the aperture. It has an oval shape. The inner edge of the opening has a thick, smooth layer called a callus. This callus has a small, sharp bump near the siphonal canal. The outer edge of the opening sticks out like a ridge, known as a varix. Inside this outer edge, there is a row of tiny bumps.
Where Does Asperdaphne perissa Live?
This sea snail is found only in one specific place. It is endemic to Australia. This means it naturally lives nowhere else in the world! You can find Asperdaphne perissa off the coast of Queensland, a state in northeastern Australia.
