Golden volute

Golden volute
Golden volute, Provocator mirabilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Family:	Volutidae
Genus:	Provocator
Species:	P. mirabilis
Binomial name
Provocator mirabilis (Finlay, 1926)
Synonyms [1]
Iredalina aurantia Powell, 1954 [2] Iredalina finlayiL. C. King, 1933 Iredalina mirabilis Finlay, 1926 Provocator (Iredalina) mirabilis(H. J. Finlay, 1926)

The golden volute, Provocator mirabilis, is a species of rare, large, deepwater sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Volutidae, the volutes.

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. It is found off the east coast.^{[ citation needed ]}

Habitat

This volute lives at depths of between 180 and 700 m, although empty shells are sometimes found in shallower water, presumably carried there by hermit crabs.^{[ citation needed ]}

Shell description

This rare shell is highly prized by collectors.^{[ citation needed ]}

The shell height is up to 140 mm, and the width up to 48 mm.^{[ citation needed ]}

References

1. "Provocator mirabilis (H. J. Finlay, 1926)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 15 September 2024.
2. Powell, A. W. B. (1954). "New Zealand Molluscan Systematics, with Descriptions of New Species, Part 2". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum . 4: 235–240. ISSN   0067-0464. JSTOR   42906069. Wikidata   Q58676746.

Further reading

• Powell A W B, New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN   0-00-216906-1
• Glen Pownall, New Zealand Shells and Shellfish, Seven Seas Publishing Pty Ltd, Wellington, New Zealand 1979 ISBN   0-85467-054-8