Zalipais lissa facts for kids

Zalipais lissa is a tiny sea snail. It lives in the ocean. This snail is a type of mollusc. It belongs to the Skeneidae family. Scientists first described it in 1908.

What Does Zalipais Lissa Look Like?

This snail has a very small shell. It is only about 0.6 millimeters tall. Its width is about 1.0 millimeter. That's smaller than a tiny speck of dust!

The shell is thin and yellowish-white. It looks like a flat disc. It has a small hole in the center, like a belly button. This is called an umbilicus.

If you look closely with a magnifying glass, you can see tiny wavy lines. These lines go out from the center. The shell looks smooth to your eye. But a microscope shows these special patterns.

Shell Parts Explained

The snail's shell has a flat top. This is called the spire. The very first part of the shell is the protoconch. It is smooth and rounded. It has one full turn, or whorl.

The rest of the shell is called the teleoconch. It has two more whorls. The last whorl is flat on top and rounded on the sides. The lines where the whorls meet are called sutures. They are pressed in.

The opening of the shell is called the aperture. It is almost round. The edge of the opening is sharp. This edge is called the peristome. The outer part of the opening has a small notch. The inner part, called the columella, is slightly thicker.

Where Does Zalipais Lissa Live?

This tiny sea snail lives in the ocean. You can find it off the coast of New Zealand. It also lives near the coast of Tasmania.

See also

• In Spanish: Zalipais lissa para niños