Attiliosa philippiana

Attiliosa philippiana
Shell of Attiliosa philippiana (specimen at Naturalis Biodiversity Center)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Family:	Muricidae
Genus:	Attiliosa
Species:	A. philippiana
Binomial name
Attiliosa philippiana (Dall, 1889)
Synonyms [1]
Muricidea philippianaDall, 1889

Attiliosa philippiana is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. ^[1]

Description

The length of the holotype attains 14.9 mm, its diameter 8.8 mm.

(Original description) The shell is short, acutely fusiform, and solid, consisting of approximately five whorls. The spire is acute, and the suture is flexuous and appressed. The slope of the spire remains nearly flat, as the turns are flattened or even slightly excavated above the periphery.

The transverse sculpture consists of lines of growth and a series of peripheral undulations or ribs—nine on the body whorl—separated by roughly equal interspaces. These ribs are almost entirely confined to the periphery. In one specimen, these are crossed by three or four nearly equidistant spiral ridges; these ridges are faint across the interspaces but become prominent and keeled or nodulous upon reaching the ribs. This particular specimen also features two strong ridges on the siphonal canal and is pure white in color.

In another specimen, only faint spiral striae are visible on the siphonal canal; the periphery is smooth and the ribs appear lumpy. This variation is white with spiral brown lines moving toward the periphery. In a third variation, the posterior row of nodulations becomes short, sharp, and spinous, while the revolving threads appear more numerous on the base.

The siphonal canal is short, rapidly tapering, open, and pointed. A well-marked siphonal fasciole is usually present, though one specimen hardly displays it, while another shows it in a funicular (cord-like) form. The aperture is an elongated oval, and the outer lip is reinforced with five to seven strong lirae within. The margin is simple and acute. The throat is porcelain-white, often showing a tendency toward rosy or purple tints. The columella is smooth, occasionally displaying a dash of rose or purple, and in perfectly adult specimens, two or three faint granulations appear near its anterior edge. ^[2]

Distribution

This marine species occurs off Florida, USA and off Mexico, Jamaica and the Bahamas.

References

1. Attiliosa philippiana (Dall, 1889) . Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species  on 24 April 2010.
2. Dall, W.H. (1889). "Reports on the results of dredging, under the supervision of Alexander Agassiz, in the Gulf of Mexico (1877-78) and in the Caribbean Sea (1879-80), by the U.S. Coast Survey Steamer "Blake", Lieut.-Commander C.D. Sigsbee, U.S.N., and Commander J.R. Bartlett, U.S.N., commanding. XXIX. Report on the Mollusca. Part 2, Gastropoda and Scaphopoda". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy at Harvard College. 18: 213. Retrieved 31 December 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

• Rosenberg, G.; Moretzsohn, F.; García, E. F. (2009). Gastropoda (Mollusca) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 579–699 in: Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.

External links

• Vokes, E.H. (1999). "Another look at the muricine genus Attiliosa". The Veliger. 42 (4). Retrieved 30 December 2025.