Pellucid top shell facts for kids
The Calliostoma pellucidum, also known as the pellucid top shell, is a type of medium-sized sea snail. It's a marine mollusc, which means it lives in the ocean. This snail belongs to a group called gastropods. It is part of the Calliostomatidae family, often called the "calliostoma top snails."
Quick facts for kids Calliostoma pellucidum |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
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clade Vetigastropoda
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| Superfamily: |
Trochoidea
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| Family: |
Calliostomatidae
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| Subfamily: |
Calliostomatinae
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| Tribe: |
Calliostomatini
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| Species: |
C. pellucidum
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| Binomial name | |
| Calliostoma pellucidum (Valenciennes, 1846)
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What Does the Pellucid Top Shell Look Like?
The shell of the pellucid top shell can be between 29 and 50 millimeters tall. This is about the size of a large marble or a small golf ball. Its shell is strong and shaped like a cone. It does not have a hole at its center.
The shell is usually yellowish in color. It has a few brown stripes that run diagonally. The shell is also covered in tiny brown and white dots. These dots are found on many small, beaded ridges. These ridges wrap around each whorl, or spiral turn, of the shell.
There are about 8 to 10 of these ridges on the second-to-last whorl. The same number can be found on the last whorl, near the widest part. Sometimes, smaller ridges appear between the main ones. This can change the total number of ridges.
Near the widest part of the shell, there are even more tiny ridges. These are closer together and smaller than the ones on the top. The rest of the shell's bottom part also has regular, grainy ridges.
The top part of the shell, called the spire, is taller and more pointed than in some other snails. It also has a slightly curved shape. The very tip of the spire, called the apex, is sharp. The lines between the whorls, called sutures, are only slightly pressed in.
The shell has about nine flattened whorls. The main body whorl, which is the largest, is slightly angled at its widest part. The opening of the shell, called the aperture, is shaped like a diamond. The inside of this opening shines with rainbow colors. The inner edge of the opening, called the columellar margin, is curved. It has a small bump at its base.
Where Does the Pellucid Top Shell Live?
This sea snail lives in the ocean waters near New Zealand.
See also
In Spanish: Calliostoma pellucidum para niños
