Gibbula fanulum

Gibbula fanulum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails.^[1]

Gibbula fanulum
A shell of Gibbula fanulum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Vetigastropoda
Order:	Trochida
Superfamily:	Trochoidea
Family:	Trochidae
Genus:	Gibbula
Species:	G. fanulum
Binomial name
Gibbula fanulum (Gmelin, 1791)
Synonyms
Forskalia fanulum (Gmelin, 1791) Forskalia fanulum var. rubropicta Coen, 1937 Gibbula aegyptica Chenu, 1859 Trochus fanulum Gmelin, 1791 (original description) Trochus fanulum var. albosordida Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus 1884 Trochus fanulum var. rubra Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus 1884 Trochus fanulum var. varia Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus 1884 Trochus tuberculatus Risso 1826 Trochus undulatus Risso 1826 Turbo aegyptius Gmelin 1791

Description

The size of the shell varies between 9 mm and 19 mm. The solid, umbilicate or perforate shell has a conical shape. It is whitish, radiately maculated above and dotted beneath with red or rich brown. There are several color mutations. The conical, turreted spire is acuminate and somewhat scalariform. The about 7 whorls are very convex, spirally lirate, and radiately costate above. They are bicarinated at the periphery, and encircled by a deep canal. The convex base of the shell bears about 5 spiral lirae. The oblique aperture is rounded. The columella is sinuous in the middle (not concave, nor dentate at the base as in Rubritrochus declivis (Forskål, 1775)) and arcuate above. The broad umbilicus is funnel-shaped, or narrow and almost closed,^[2]

Distribution

This marine species occurs off Southern Portugal and in the Mediterranean Sea.