Amauropsis apora

Amauropsis apora
Shell of Amauropsis apora (specimen at theNaturalis Biodiversity Center)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Naticidae
Genus:	Amauropsis
Species:	A. apora
Binomial name
Amauropsis apora (R. B. Watson, 1881)
Synonyms
Natica aporaR. B. Watson, 1881 superseded combination

Amauropsis apora is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Naticidae, the moon snails. ^[1]

Description

The lengt of the shell attains 14.5 mm, its diameter 11.4 mm.

The shell is conically globose, slightly pointed at the base, with a prominent apex and a very shallowly impressed suture. It is smooth to the touch but not glossy, and its general coloration is buff with a white columellar lip. The umbilicus is entirely closed.

The longitudinal sculpture is close-set, regular, hair-like growth lines dominate the surface. Near the suture, particularly on the upper whorls, these lines form radiating puckers, giving the shell a distinctive texture. The spirals are subtle and nearly obsolete furrows and lines appear sporadically, becoming slightly stronger and more regular on the basal surface.

The exterior presents a ruddy yellowish tone from the epidermis, which, beneath, overlays a porcelain-like white shell. The epidermis is thin, finely fibrous, and persistent.

The spire is relatively high and conical, with its outline remaining uninterrupted by the gentle rounding of the whorls and the shallow sinking of the sutural lines. The apex is large but somewhat eroded, with the extreme tip often effaced.

There are five whorls, only slightly rounded. Though flattened, they show no constriction beneath the suture. The suture itself is oblique, barely impressed, and subtly channeled.

The aperture is oblique when viewed from the front-back axis but remains linear when aligned with the shell’s axis. It has a pointed, slightly narrowed top and a fully rounded base. A considerable pad fills the upper corner of the aperture, which constitutes more than four-fifths of the total shell height.

The aperture is slightly contracted at the top and moderately closed below, rendering it small for the shell's overall size. The outer lip exhibits a slight flattening above, transitioning into a smooth, rounded curve below. The inner lip is faintly concave, with the substantial pad extending widely and thinly across the body, entirely covering the umbilicus and leaving only a narrow chink. Below, the pad narrows gradually toward the columella. The columella is slightly thickened and bevelled into a narrow, rounded edge that continues seamlessly around the base to join the outer lip. ^[2]

Distribution

This marine species occurs off the Aru Islands, Indonesia.

References

1. Amauropsis apora (R. B. Watson, 1881) . 7 January 2025. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species .
2. Watson, R.B. (1881). "Mollusca of the Challenger Expedition". The Journal of the Linnean Society of London. Zoology. 15 (81–88): 265–266. Retrieved 7 January 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

External links

• Torigoe K. & Inaba A. (2011). "Revision on the classification of Recent Naticidae" (PDF). Bulletin of the Nishinomiya Shell Museum. 7: 1–133.