Septa rubecula

Septa rubecula, common name : the ruby triton or the red redbreast triton, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae.^[1][3]

Septa rubecula
Apertural view of Septa rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Cymatiidae
Genus:	Septa
Species:	S. rubecula
Binomial name
Septa rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[1][2]
Murex rubecula Linnaeus, 1758 Cymatium rubeculum (Linnaeus, 1758) Cymatium scarlatina Perry, G., 1811 Lampusia rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) Septa scarlatina Perry, 1810 Triton (Lampusia) rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) Triton rubeculatum Liénard, E., 1877

Subspecies

• Septa rubecula rebeculum
• Septa rubecula occidentale

Distribution

This species is distributed in the Indian Ocean off Chagos, the Mascarene basin and Tanzania and in the Indo-West Pacific.;^[2][4] also off New Caledonia.

A shell of Septa rubecula from Red Sea, on display at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano

Description

The shell size of Septa rubecula varies between 25 mm and 55 mm.^[2] These moderately small shells are commonly rather solid, ovate and vetricose. The six convex whorls are sculptured with one varix on each whorl and with spiral cords, nodules and knobs. Siphonal canal is moderately long. The external shell surface is quite variable in color. It may be bright or dark red, orange or brown with a small white or yellowish transversal band on whorls and with small white patches on varices. The outer lip is ornamented with 8–10 white prominent denticles. The columella is reddish. The inner surface of the aperture is white. The periostracum is yellowish-brown.^[5]

Habitat

Under coral rocks, on sand and coral substrate at depths of 0.5 to 145 m.^[6]

Five views of a shell of Septa rubecula