Raphitoma philberti (Michaud 1829)

Raphitoma philberti is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.^[1]

Description

The length of the shell varies between 6 mm and 14 mm.

The shell is turreted and fusiform. It contains about six convex whorls. They contain longitudinally rather tuberculated ribs that are decussated by coarse, elevated, transverse striae. The outer lip is thickened within, somewhat contracting the aperture, and strongly dentated with seven or eight elevated teeth. It has a moderately sized sinus immediately at the suture.^[2] Coloration uniformly tawny-reddish, from light to dark, with whitish blotches as wide as two axials usually vanishing towards the suture. Comma-shaped white spots on the subsutural ramp. Soft parts foot sharped bilobed anteriorly. Black eyes at proximal 1/3 of tentacles. Foot and cephalic tentacles withish/yellowish semi-transparent with many bright white spots, head semi-transparent greyish/blackish. Siphon blackish with withish spots and a whitish ring at top.

Distribution

This species occurs in the Northern Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea.

References

• Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca. in: Costello, M.J. et al. (eds), European Register of Marine Species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Patrimoines Naturels. 50: 180–213.
• Giannuzzi-Savelli R., Pusateri F. & Bartolini S., 2018. A revision of the Mediterranean Raphitomidae (Gastropoda: Conoidea) 5: loss of planktotrophy and pairs of species, with the description of four new species. Bollettino Malacologico 54, Suppl. 11: 1–77