Amphissa versicolor

Amphissa versicolor
Shell of Amphissa versicolor(specimen at the Natural History Museum, Rotterdam)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Family:	Columbellidae
Genus:	Amphissa
Species:	A. versicolor
Binomial name
Amphissa versicolor W. H. Dall, 1871
Synonyms
Amphissa cymataDall, 1916 Amphissa versicolor var. cymataDall, 1916 junior subjective synonym Amphissa versicolor var. incisaDall, 1916 junior subjective synonym Amphissa versicolor var. lineataStearns, 1873 Amphissa versicolor versicolorDall, 1871

Amphissa versicolor, also called variegated amphissa or variegate amphissa, is a species of small sea snail in the family Columbellidae. ^[1]

Description

(Original description) The shell comprises about five whorls, with the body whorl making up two-thirds of the shell's total length. The epidermis is imperceptible. The shell is ornamented with rather strong, sinuous ribs, which often extend into the lower third of the whorl; well-grown individuals possess fourteen to sixteen of these on the body whorl. These ribs are crossed by rather strong, thread-like lines, situated between broad channels on the convexity of the whorls. These lines become narrower and groove-like on the anterior part of the body whorl, with an average of seventeen present on the body whorl in adult specimens. The post-labial pinch is almost obsolete, and quite so in some specimens. The colors are highly variable, ranging from pink, salmon, livid bluish purple, brown, to pure white, all of which can be plain or variously marked with a network of white and brown lines, patches, or dots. ^[2]

The shell of Amphissa versicolor is an elongated spiral that reaches up to 13 millimetres (0.51 in) in length and comes in many different colors. These colors can range from white to brown, sometimes with darker markings. ^[3]

Distribution

It is native to the coasts of the Eastern Pacific, from Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, to Rompiente Point, northern Baja California Sur. ^[4]

Habitat

Amphissa versicolor is found from the low intertidal zone to depths of about 46 metres (151 ft). ^[3]

References

1. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Amphissa versicolor Dall, 1871". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
2. Dall, W.H. (1871). "Descriptions of sixty new forms of mollusks and brachiopods of the southeastern coast of North America and the North Pacific Ocean, with notes on others already described". Descriptions of sixty new forms of mollusks and brachiopods of the southeastern coast of North America and the North Pacific Ocean, with notes on others already described. 7 (2): 113–114. Retrieved 20 May 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
3. Sept, J. Duane (2023). The New Beachcomber's Guide to Seashore Life of California. Madeira Park, British Columbia, Canada: Harbour Publishing. p. 165. ISBN   9781990776076.
4. ITIS Standard Report Page: Amphissa versicolor

External links

• Dall, W.H. (1916). "Notes on West American Columbellidae". The Nautilus. 30 (3): 27.
• Stearns, R.E.C. (1873). "Descriptions of new marine mollusks from the west coast of North America". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. 5: pl. 1 fig. 8.
• de Maintenon, M.J. (2019). "The columbellid species of the northeast Pacific coast from the Aleutian Islands to Cedros Island, Baja California (Neogastropoda: Columbellidae)". Zoosymposia. 13: 168.