Zonaria petitiana

Zonaria petitiana
Shell of Zonaria petitiana (specimen at the Natural History Museum Rotterdam)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Cypraeidae
Genus:	Zonaria
Species:	Z. petitiana
Binomial name
Zonaria petitiana (Crosse, 1872)
Synonyms
Cypraea petitianaCrosse, 1872 superseded combination Zonaria angelicae var. petiformisLorenz & F. Huber, 1993 Zonaria pyrum petitiana(Crosse, 1872)

Zonaria petitiana is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. ^[1]

Synonyms

• Zonaria petitiana senegalensisF. A. Schilder, 1928: synonym of Zonaria pyrum insularumF. A. Schilder, 1928

Taxonomy

Some authors consider Z. petitiana a subspecies of Zonaria pyrum , e.g. Lorenz and Hubert, 2000, although Lorenz 2002 considers it a valid species.

Description

The length of the shell varies between 17 mm and 38 mm.

(Original description in Latin) The shell exhibits an ovate-pyriform shape, characterized by a somewhat turgid and thickened form. It possesses a glossy surface and tapers towards both extremities, culminating in a slight beak. The upper surface displays a chestnut-brown coloration, irregularly suffused with large, rounded white spots. The sides and extremities exhibit a broad flesh-colored hue. The lower surface appears flatter, displaying a flesh-colored tone. The columellar margin is adorned with 16 white teeth, while the external margin features 18. The spire is immersed and inconspicuous, with a slight concavity. The aperture is narrow, slightly sinuous, and exhibits a bluish-white coloration internally. ^[2]

Distribution

This marine species occurs off Senegal and Gabon

References

1. MolluscaBase eds. (2023). MolluscaBase. Zonaria petitiana (Crosse, 1872). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=595690 on 2023-11-26
2. Crosse H. (1872). Diagnoses molluscorum novorum. Journal de Conchyliologie. 20: 211-214. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

• Lorenz F. (2002) New worldwide cowries. Descriptions of new taxa and revisions of selected groups of living Cypraeidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Schriften zur Malakozoologie aus dem Haus der Natur-Cismar 20: 1–292, pls 1-40.
• Lorenz, F. (2017). Cowries. A guide to the gastropod family Cypraeidae. Volume 1, Biology and systematics. Harxheim: ConchBooks. 644 pp.

External links

• Conchology.be: image