Turbo petholatus

Turbo petholatus (common name: tapestry turban) is a species of sea snail, marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turbinidae.^[1]

Turbo petholatus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Vetigastropoda
Order:	Trochida
Superfamily:	Trochoidea
Family:	Turbinidae
Genus:	Turbo
Species:	T. petholatus
Binomial name
Turbo petholatus Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms[1]
Lunatica aruginosa Röding, 1798 Lunatica porphyria Röding, 1798 Turbo (Turbo) petholatus Linnaeus, 1758 Turbo (Turbo) roxas Bozzetti, 2019 Turbo aruginosa Röding, 1798 Turbo aurantia Perry, G., 1811 Turbo cingulata Röding, 1798 Turbo dinegrata Röding, 1798 Turbo humerosa Smith, 1901 Turbo obscura Röding, 1798 Turbo petholatus var. humerosus M. Smith, 1907 · Turbo porphyrites [sic, porphyria] (misspelling of porphyria) Turbo roxas Bozzetti, 2019 Turbo radina Webster, W.H., 1905

Description

Green form

Brown form

The length of the shell varies between 30 mm and 100 mm. The imperforate shell is solid, polished and shining. Its color pattern is rich brown, variously ornamented with dark bands interrupted with white blotches and narrow stripes. The five whorls are flattened beneath the suture, sometimes carinated above. The aperture measures about half the length of the shell. It is circular and pearly within. The peristome and columella are tinged with greenish-yellow. The pattern on the shell is very similar to Turbo moolenbeeki, especially in the brown form Turbo petholathus.

The circular operculum contains four whorls and a nucleus placed one-third the distance across the face. The outer surface is convex, shining, bright green on the center, the margins brown on one side, white upon the other, slightly granulose about the edges.^[2]

Drawing of a shell of Turbo petholatus

Distribution

This species occurs in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean off Madagascar, Mozambique, Chagos and Mauritius. It also occurs also in the West Pacific and from Western Australia to southern Queensland.