Melanella antarctica

Melanella antarctica
Shell of Melanella antarctica (original drawing)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Eulimidae
Genus: Melanella
Species:
M. antarctica
Binomial name
Melanella antarctica
(Strebel, 1908)
Synonyms
  • Eulima antarctica Strebel, 1908

Melanella antarctica is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Eulimidae. The species is one of many species known to exist within the genus, Melanella. [1]

Distribution

This species occurs in Antarctic waters, these would include the Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, Weddell Sea and the Ross Sea respectively.[2][3][4]

Description

The maximum recorded shell length is 4 mm.[5]

(Original description in German) The slender shell is white, becoming somewhat more yellowish toward the apex, and is fairly glossy. It consists of six only slightly convex whorls, which are separated by a suture bordered by a sharply defined, pure-white line. The upper half of the body whorl is nearly flat or slightly concave; below this, the whorl expands somewhat and becomes slightly sac-like.

The columellar fold is appressed, while the columella itself is slightly curved outward and lies obliquely to the axis. Inferiorly, it passes somewhat angularly into the basal margin. The sculpture consists of distinct, isolated growth lines, which evidently correspond to successive stages in the shell’s growth. [6]

Habitat

Minimum recorded depth is 102 m.[5] Maximum recorded depth is 489 m.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Melanella antarctica (Strebel, 1908). 19 August 2026. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species.
  2. ↑ Strebel, 1908. Southern Ocean Mollusc Database (SOMBASE), available online at "Southern Ocean Mollusc Database (SOMBASE)". Archived from the original on 2007-01-18. Retrieved 2012-11-03.. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=197274 on 2013-03-26.
  3. ↑ Engl W. (2012) Shells of Antarctica. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 402 pp.
  4. ↑ Warén A. (2011). Checklist of Eulimidae. pers. com.
  5. 1 2 3 Welch J. J. (2010). "The “Island Rule” and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.
  6. ↑ Strebel, H. (1908). Die Gastropoden. In: Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Schwedischen Südpolar-Expedition 1901–1903 unter Leitung von Dr. Otto Nordenskjöld, Bd 6, Lief. 1: 111 pp., 6 pls. Stockholm. p. 65. Retrieved 19 August 2026.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.