Phorcus punctulatus

Phorcus punctulatus, common name the punctate monodont, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails.^[1][2]

Phorcus punctulatus
Drawing with two views of a shell of Phorcus punctulatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Vetigastropoda
Order:	Trochida
Superfamily:	Trochoidea
Family:	Trochidae
Subfamily:	Cantharidinae
Genus:	Phorcus
Species:	P. punctulatus
Binomial name
Phorcus punctulatus (Lamarck, 1822)
Synonyms[1]
Monodonta osilin Deshayes in Lamarck Monodonta punctulata Lamarck, 1822 (original description) Osilinus punctulatus (Lamarck, 1822) Trochus punctulatus Philippi

Description

The size of the shell varies between 15 mm and 20 mm. The solid, imperforate shell has a conical shape. It is, deep purplish-brown or blackish, dotted with white, the dots sometimes forming spiral series, and always elongated in the direction of the spiral. The surface is nearly smooth, sometimes showing traces of spiral grooves, which are always visible on the young. The spire is conoid. The apex is generally eroded and orange-colored. The 6 whorls are convex. The body whorl is somewhat flattened or subconcave around the upper part. The base of the shell is convex, eroded and white in front of the aperture. The aperture is half-circular. The outer lip is not much thickened, edged with black, beautifully iridescent within, with amethystine tints. The columella is short, obtusely subdentate at the base, expanding above into a callus, which covers the axis and the umbilicus, or leaves a slight excavation or groove.^[3]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Atlantic Ocean off Senegal and Gambia.