Perotrochus caledonicus

Perotrochus caledonicus is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pleurotomariidae, the slit snails.^[1][2]

Perotrochus caledonicus
Shell of Perotrochus caledonicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Vetigastropoda
Order:	Pleurotomariida
Superfamily:	Pleurotomarioidea
Family:	Pleurotomariidae
Genus:	Perotrochus
Species:	P. caledonicus
Binomial name
Perotrochus caledonicus (Bouchet & Métivier, 1982)
Synonyms[1]
Perotrochus caledonicus Bouchet & Metivier, 1982

Description

The length of the shell varies between 30 mm and 55 mm.

The type material that Perotrochus caledonicus is made of from southern New Caledonia typically has a smooth shell, but a more pustulose variation was later found and initially considered just a form of the same species. Collectors and dealers continue to distinguish between the "smooth" and "pustulose" forms, with some suggesting the latter might even qualify as a separate species.^[3]

Distribution

This marine species occurs off New Caledonia.