Mitra papalis

Mitra papalis, common name the Papal/Pontifical Mitre, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Mitridae, the miters.[1]

Mitra papalis
Five views of a shell of Mitra papalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
Superfamily:
Muricoidea
Family:
Mitridae
Genus:
Mitra
Species:
M. papalis
Binomial name
Mitra papalis
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms

Mitra (Mitra) papalis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Distribution

This marine species is present in India and in the western Indo-Pacific (China, Xisha Islands, Taiwan, Philippines, New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia and Guam).[2][3][4]

Habitat

These sea snails live on coral reefs and under rocks, from the intertidal zone to a depth of about 30 m.[4]

A shell of Mitra papalis

Description

Shells of Mitra papalis can reach a length of about 60–166 millimetres (2.4–6.5 in).[2] The form of these large shells is similar to a Papal mitre (hence the common name). They are elongate to ovate, fusiform and smooth but without axial streaks on the surface. Sutural coronations are present. The aperture is moderately wide, smooth within. The shell surface is white, with small white nodules under sutures and with several rows of irregular bright red-orange or purplish blotches.[4]

This species is quite similar to Mitra stictica, but its body form is longer, with more adpressed sutures and wider nodules.[4]

References
A shell of Mitra papalis
  1. WoRMS
  2. "Mitra papalis". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  3. Sea Life Base
  4. LI Bao Quan, LI Xin Zheng - Report on genus Mitra with seven new record species from the chinese seas

Bibliography
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