Microdrillia fastosa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Microdrillia fastosa |
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| Original drawing of a shell of Microdrillia fastosa | |
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Microdrillia fastosa is a type of sea snail. It is a marine gastropod mollusk that belongs to the family Borsoniidae. These snails live in the ocean.
About the Shell
This snail has a small shell. It is about 5 millimeters (mm) tall and 1.9 mm wide. That's about the size of a tiny grain of rice! The shell is strong and slender. It has a spindle-like, or fusiform, shape.
The shell has 8½ spirals, called whorls. The first six of these are part of its earliest shell, called the protoconch. The older parts of the shell are straw yellow. The very first part (protoconch) is cinnamon brown.
Shell Patterns and Texture
The shell of Microdrillia fastosa has cool patterns. Just below the suture (the line where whorls join), there is a spiral line. This line goes up into the protoconch for two whorls.
After this line, there's a wide, curved area called a fasciole. This area has a sharp ridge, or keel, that makes the shell look angled. Another smaller keel runs halfway between the main keel and the suture.
On the largest part of the shell, called the body whorl, there are about fourteen spiral lines. These lines get smaller towards the front of the shell. The curved fasciole area has delicate, curved little ridges called riblets. You can also see fine, curved growth lines between the spiral ridges.
The very first part of the protoconch is small and rounded. It has tiny spiral lines. The rest of the protoconch sticks out in the middle. It has fine, sharp ridges that go across it. On the last whorl of the protoconch, there are about twenty-two of these ridges. The spaces between these ridges have a criss-cross, or latticed, pattern made by spiral threads.
Where It Lives
This marine snail lives only in Australia. It can be found off the coast of New South Wales. This means it is endemic to that area, so you won't find it naturally anywhere else in the world!
