Calliotropis granolirata

Calliotropis granolirata, common name the Cape cog shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Calliotropidae.^[1]

Calliotropis granolirata
Shell of Calliotropis granolirata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Vetigastropoda
Family:	Calliotropidae
Genus:	Calliotropis
Species:	C. granolirata
Binomial name
Calliotropis granolirata (Sowerby, 1903)
Synonyms
Calliostoma (Lischkeia) granoliratum G. B. Sowerby III, 1903 (basionym) Calliostoma granoliratum G. B. Sowerby III, 1903 (original combination)

Description

The length of the shell reaches 25 mm.

The shell is small, featuring a conical spire and a rounded base. It is sculpted with prominent spiral cords that bear well-developed granules. The spire whorls have three cords, including one at the periphery, while the base is adorned with four cords. The umbilicus is closed, and the aperture displays a nacreous (mother-of-pearl) sheen when the shell is fresh.

Coloration is uniformly milky-white to pale buff, with a matte, non-lustrous finish. ^[2]

Distribution

A marine species endemic to South Africa, it has been reliably recorded only from deep waters off the Cape Agulhas–Cape Point region, at depths reaching up to 2,750 meters.