Jujubinus exasperatus

Jujubinus exasperatus, the Rough Top Shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails.^[2]

Jujubinus exasperatus
Jujubinus exasperatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Vetigastropoda
Order:	Trochida
Superfamily:	Trochoidea
Family:	Trochidae
Genus:	Jujubinus
Species:	J. exasperatus
Binomial name
Jujubinus exasperatus (Pennant, 1777)[1]
Synonyms
Calliostoma (Jujubinus) exasperatum (Pennant, 1777) Calliostoma (Jujubinus) exasperatum var. lutea Pallary, 1900 Jujubinus corallinus Monterosato, 1884 (dubious synonym) Jujubinus igneus Sturany, 1896 Jujubinus istrianus Coen, 1933 Jujubinus mixtus Ghisotti & Melone, 1975 Jujubinus striatus var. monterosatoi Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1884 Trochus bicolor Risso, 1826 (dubious synonym) Trochus crenulatus Brocchi, 1814 (dubious synonym) Trochus dejacobi Aradas & Benoit, 1841 Trochus dumerili Risso, 1826 Trochus elegans de Blainville, 1830 Trochus erythroleucos Gmelin, 1791 Trochus exasperatus Pennant, 1777 Trochus exasperatus var. excavata Monterosato, 1880 Trochus exasperatus var. flammulata Monterosato, 1880 (dubious syn.) Trochus exiguus Pulteney, 1799 Trochus matoni Payraudeau, 1826 Trochus pyramidatus Lamarck, 1822 Trochus reinierius Risso, 1826 Trochus socius Fischer P., 1895 (dubious synonym) Trochus tricolor Risso, 1826 Trochus vulgaris Risso, 1826

Description

f. monterosatoi

Jujubinus exasperatus has a shell which can reach an adult size of 7–15 millimetres (0.28–0.59 in). The shape of this shell is conical, with straight sides and a flat imperforate base with ca. 6 spiral cords which are smoother than on the whorls. The sides show four-five beaded cords. These are narrower than the interspaces in which there are very fine, prosocline lamellae. A considerably thicker compound cord is seen above the suture on the spire and at the periphery of body whorl. The aperture is subquadrangular, with a moderate denticle at the base of the columella. The outer lip has a cutting edge. The background color of the first whorls is typically reddish, the later whorls usually whitish with red, brown or (more rarely) black flames. The peripheral cord is usually articulated with red and white. The apex is pink. Interior of aperture is nacreous. This sea snail is herbivorous, feeding on algae.^[2]

Distribution

This species occurs in Eastern Atlantic, from the British islands to Portugal and Morocco and in the Mediterranean Sea, mainly in Spain, Italy, Greece. It is common in the seagrass prairies of Posidonia oceanica, at depths of 0 to 30 m.