Charisma carinata facts for kids

Charisma carinata, also known as the carinate charisma, is a very tiny sea snail. It's a type of mollusk that lives in the ocean. This little creature belongs to a group called gastropods, which includes snails and slugs. It is part of the family Trochidae, often known as "top snails."

What Does It Look Like?

The shell of the Charisma carinata is super small. It's only about 1.1 mm tall and 1.4 mm wide. That's smaller than a grain of rice!

This tiny shell has three and a half whorls, which are the turns or spirals of the shell. The first two whorls are smooth and white. As the shell grows, it develops special ridges called "carinations."

The main part of the shell, called the body whorl, has seven of these ridges. They get flatter as they go towards the bottom of the shell. The spaces between these ridges have fine spiral lines.

The very bottom ridge forms a border around the umbilicus. This is a wide, hollow area in the center of the shell's base. Inside the umbilicus, there are about eight more spiral lines.

The shell also has tiny, fine scratches that run across it. The opening of the shell, called the aperture, is round. Its inner surface is smooth, but the outside edge is wavy because of the ridges. The shell can be a light amber color, white, or sometimes even a little bit pink.

Where Does It Live?

This marine snail is endemic to Australia. This means it is found naturally only in Australia and nowhere else in the world. Specifically, you can find Charisma carinata off the coast of South Australia.