Ancilla ordinaria

Ancilla ordinaria
Shell of Ancilla ordinaria
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Family:	Ancillariidae
Genus:	Ancilla
Species:	A. ordinaria
Binomial name
Ancilla ordinaria E.A. Smith, 1906
Synonyms [1]
Ancilla (Sparella) fasciata(Reeve, 1864) junior homonym Ancilla (Sparella) ordinariaE. A. Smith, 1906 alternative representation Ancilla agulhasensisThiele, J., 1925 Ancilla fasciataReeve, 1864 Ancillaria fasciataReeve, 1864 junior homonym (invalid: junior secondary homonym...) Sparella ordinaria(E. A. Smith, 1906)

Ancilla ordinaria, the white-banded ancilla, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ancillariidae. ^[1]

Variety

• Ancilla ordinaria var. majorW. H. Turton, 1932: synonym of Ancilla albozonata E. A. Smith, 1904 (junior synonym)

Description

The shell size varies between 8 mm and 21 mm.

(Original description in Latin) This is a small, sub-ovate shell that is pointed above. It has a pale yellowish color, and is adorned with stripes or lines, which are faint, slightly oblique, and obscure; sometimes it is entirely snow-white. It has 4-5 whorls that increase rapidly in size. The spire is short and obtuse at the apex. The body whorl is bisulcate (has two grooves) at the front, with the upper groove forming an inconspicuous tooth above the lip, and terminating at the other end at the upper part of the aperture. The lip is thickened and curved above, with a slight incision at its insertion. The columella is callous and reflected at the front and slightly grooved. ^[2]

Distribution

This marine species is distributed in the Indian Ocean off South Africa (Port Alfred) and Mozambique

References

1. Ancilla ordinaria E.A. Smith, 1906 . Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species  on 21 February 2011.
2. Smith, E.A. (1908). "On South African Mollusca with description of new species". Annals of the Natal Government Museum: 27. Retrieved 11 August 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

• Steyn, D.G. & Lussi, M. (1998) Marine Shells of South Africa. An Illustrated Collector's Guide to Beached Shells. Ekogilde Publishers, Hartebeespoort, South Africa, ii + 264 pp.

External links

• Reeve L.A. (1864). The genus Ancillaria. Conch. Icon., vol. 15 page(s): Plate 9, fig. 44
• Thiele, J. (1925). Gastropoden der Deutschen Tiefsee-Expedition. II Teil. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Deutschen Tiefsee-Expedition auf dem Dampfer "Valdivia" 1898-1899. 17(2):
• "Ancilla (Sparella) ordinaria". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 1 February 2011.