Comitas saldanhae

Comitas saldanhae
Apertural view of a shell of Comitas saldanhae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Conoidea
Family: Pseudomelatomidae
Genus: Comitas
Species:
C. saldanhae
Binomial name
Comitas saldanhae
(Barnard, 1958)
Synonyms[1]
  • not Comitas saldanhae Powell 1966
  • Turris saldanhae Barnard, 1958 (original combination)

Comitas saldanhae, common name the Benguela comitas, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Pseudomelatomidae, the turrids and allies.[1]

Description

The length of the shell varies between 40 mm and 62 mm, but is usually less than 45 mm.[2]

The shell is spindle-shaped, featuring a short siphonal canal and an elevated spire. Whorls are distinctly shouldered, with an indented suture. The shoulder slope is adorned with spiral threads, while below the shoulder, the sculpture includes oblique axial ribs crossed by finer spiral threads. The base displays only spiral threads and growth lines. The outer lip has a broad, moderately deep U-shaped anal sinus at the shoulder, and in larger specimens, the lip edge flares outward below this point.[2]

The shell is chalky white with a dull brown periostracum. The apex, ribs, and subsutural region are frequently eroded, and the shell is often covered in mud.[2]

Remarks

The shell of the species possesses an anal sinus, which occupies part of the subsutural ramp, similar to species of Comitas. Nervertheless, the radula consists of duplex marginal teeth, with the accessory limb of the marginal tooth inserted into a rather deep and broad socket on the major limb. This tooth structure is very different from the radulae of Comitas that have been examined. Although the exact generic position of the species cannot be determined, the radula type suggests it belongs to the family Pseudomelatomidae.[3]

Distribution

This marine species occurs off the west coast off South Africa (Namibia to west of Cape Point) and off the Orange River.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Comitas saldanhae (Barnard, 1958). 26 October 2024. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Herbert, D.G., Jones, G.J. & Atkinson, L.J. (2018). Phylum Mollusca. In: Atkinson, L.J. and Sink, K.J. (eds) Field Guide to the Offshore Marine Invertebrates of South Africa. Pretoria: Malachite Marketing and Media. p. 289. doi:10.15493/SAEON.PUB.10000001. ISBN 978-1-86868-098-6. Retrieved 17 October 2024.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
  3. ↑ Kantor, Y. I.; Fedosov, A.; Puillandre, N. (2025). "Revision of the Indo-Pacific species of the genus Leucosyrinx Dall, 1889 (Neogastropoda: Conoidea: Pseudomelatomidae)". European Journal of Taxonomy. 999: 115. Retrieved 7 July 2026.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is under a CC BY 4.0 license.
  • Barnard, 1958. Contribution to the knowledge of South African marine mollusca Part I. Gastropoda. Posobranchiata, Toxoglossa.
  • Nolf F. (2011) A northern range extension for Comitas saldanhae (Barnard, 1958) (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Clavatulidae). Neptunea 10(2): 1–4
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