Anarithma metula

Anarithma metula is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Mitromorphidae.^[1]

Anarithma metula
Shell of Anarithma metula
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Superfamily:	Conoidea
Family:	Mitromorphidae
Genus:	Anarithma
Species:	A. metula
Binomial name
Anarithma metula (Hinds, 1843)
Synonyms[1]
Anarithma dibolos K.H. Barnard, 1964 Anarithma garrettii W.H. Pease, 1860 Anarithma iki E.A. Kay, 1979 Anarithma pamila P.L. Duclos in J.C. Chenu, 1848 Anarithma pusiola R.W. Dunker, 1871 Anarithma stepheni (Melvill & Standen, 1897) junior subjective synonym Clavatula metula Hinds, 1843 Colombella pamila Duclos, 1848 Columbella sublachryma R.P.J. Hervier, 1900 Mangilia metula (Hinds, 1843) Mitra lachryma Reeve, 1845 Mitromorpha metula (Hinds, 1843)

Description

The length of the shell varies between 3.5 mm and 7 mm.

The five whorls are flattened. They are obsoletely ribbed and transversely striated. The suture shows a raised line. The outer lip is inflected in the middle. The color of the shell is yellowish brown, banded with chestnut.^[2]

(Original description as Anarithma stepheni) The minute, white shell is particularly beautiful. It contains six whorls , compact, clathrate, with close longitudinal riblets and revolving lirae. Just underneath the sutures the ante-penultimate and penultimate whorls are sparsely spotted with fulvous. In the body whorl the spots again occur towards the middle, but are contiguous to, and below joined with, one large dorsal effusion of the same colour. The aperture is narrow. The simple outer lip is thickened..The columella is upright.^[3]

Distribution

This marine species occurs from Eastern Transkei, South Africa, Mozambique and Madagascar to the Philippines, Fiji, French Polynesia, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Hawaii