Janthina exigua

Janthina exigua
Live Janthina exigua retracted into its shell
Shell of Janthina exigua
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Superfamily:	Epitonioidea
Family:	Epitoniidae
Genus:	Janthina
Species:	J. exigua
Binomial name
Janthina exigua Lamarck, 1816
Synonyms [1]
Janthina bifida Nuttall, 1850 Janthina capreolata Montrouzier, 1860 Janthina incisa Philippi, 1848 Janthina nitida Adams, 1861 Janthina striata Montrouzier, 1860 Janthina vinsoni Deshayes, 1863

Janthina exigua, also known as the dwarf janthina, is a species of small holoplanktonic sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Epitoniidae, the violet snails or purple storm snails. ^[1]

Distribution

This species is pelagic, and occurs around the world in tropical waters, in other words it is circumequatorial. ^[1]

It has been recorded from:

• The Atlantic Ocean ^[1]
• British Isles ^[1]
• European waters ^[1]
• Madagascar ^[1]
• Mascarene Plateau ^[1]
• Mediterranean Sea ^[1]
• Mozambique ^[1]
• The Pacific Ocean ^[1]
• South Africa ^[1]
• The West Coast of Ireland ^[1]

Description

The maximum recorded shell length is 15.3 mm. ^[2]

Habitat

Minimum recorded depth is 0 m. ^[2] Maximum recorded depth is 0 m. ^[2]

References

1. MolluscaBase (2019). MolluscaBase. Janthina exigua Lamarck, 1816. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=140154 on 2019-10-09
2. Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. doi : 10.1371/journal.pone.0008776 .