Vexillum pacificum

Vexillum pacificum
Drawing of a shell of Vexillum pacificum (holotype)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Superfamily:	Turbinelloidea
Family:	Costellariidae
Genus:	Vexillum
Species:	V. pacificum
Binomial name
Vexillum pacificum (Reeve, 1845)
Synonyms
Mitra pacificaReeve, 1845 (original combination) Mitra (Costellaria) pacifica comtemptaDautzenberg, P. & Bouge, L.J. 1923 Mitra (Costellaria) pacifica roseaDautzenberg, P. & Bouge, L.J. 1923 Mitra wisemaniDohrn, 1860 Vexillum (Costellaria) pacificum(Reeve, 1845)

Vexillum pacificum, the Pacific mitre, is a species of small sea snail, marine gastropod mollusk in the family Costellariidae, the ribbed miters. ^[1]

Description

The length of the shell varies between 11 mm and 19 mm.

(Original description) The rather thick shell is elongately ovate. The spire is turreted. The whorls are angulated at the upper part, longitudinally ridged, ridges numerous, narrow, transversely impressly grooved. The shell is white, encircled with a brown band between the ridges only. The columella is four-plaited, uppermost plait much the largest. The aperture is rather short. ^[2]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Indo-West and Central Pacific; off Mozambique, Réunion, Guam, the Loyalty Islands, Indonesia, the Philippines and off Australia (New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia).

References

1. Vexillum pacificum (Reeve, 1845) . Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species  on 24 April 2010.
2. Reeve, L. A. (1844-1845). Monograph of the genus Mitra. In: Conchologia Iconica, or, illustrations of the shells of molluscous animals, vol. 2, pl. 1-39 and unpaginated text. L. Reeve & Co., London. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

• Schepman, M.M. 1911. The Prosobranchia of the Siboga Expedition. Part 4: Rhachiglossa. pp. 247-364, pls 18-24 in Weber, M. (ed.). Siboga Expeditie. Monograph 49.
• Hedley, C. 1918. A checklist of the marine fauna of New South Wales. Part 1. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 51: M1–M120
• Dautzenberg, P. & Bouge, L.J. 1923. Mitridés de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et de ses dépendances. Journal de Conchyliologie 67(2): 179-259
• Drivas, J. & Jay, M. (1988). Coquillages de La Réunion et de l'Île Maurice. Collection les beautés de la nature. Delachaux et Niestlé: Neuchâtel. ISBN 2-603-00654-1. pp. 1-160.
• Kilburn R.N. (1974). Taxonomic notes on South African marine Mollusca (3): Gastropoda: Prosobranchia, with descriptions of new taxa of Naticidae, Fasciolariidae, Magilidae, Volutomitridae and Turridae. Annals of the Natal Museum. 22: 187-220.
• Salvat, B. & Rives, C. 1975. Coquillages de Polynésie. Tahiti : Papéete Les editions du pacifique, 391 pp.
• Kay, E.A. 1979. Hawaiian marine shells. Reef and shore fauna of Hawaii. Section 4 : Mollusca. Honolulu, Hawaii : Bishop Museum Press Bernice P. Bishop Museum Special Publication Vol. 64(4) 653 pp.
• Wells, F.E. & Bryce, C.W. 1986. Seashells of Western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 207 pp.
• Wilson, B. 1994. Australian marine shells. Prosobranch gastropods. Kallaroo, WA : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 2 370 pp.
• Arnaud, J.P., Berthault, C., Jeanpierre, R., Martin, J.C. & Martin, P. 2002. Costellariidae et Mitridae de Nouvelle Calédonie. Xenophora. Association française de conchyliologie. Supplément 100: 52 pp.
• Wils, E. & Verbinnen, G. 2002. Red Sea Mollusca: Part 12. Class Gastropoda; Family: Costellariidae. Gloria Maris 41(1-2): 29-37

External links

• Dohrn, H. (1860). Description of new species of Mitra from the collection of Hugh Cuming, Esq. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 28: 366-368
• Cernohorsky, Walter Oliver. The Mitridae of Fiji; The veliger vol. 8 (1965)
• WMSDB: image