Pterynotus loebbeckei

Pterynotus loebbeckei[1] is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.

Pterynotus loebbeckei
Gastropod shell of Pterynotus loebbeckei with operculum, 44.7 mm in length, collected with gill nets at 100 m off Balut Island, Mindanao, Philippines.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Neogastropoda
Superfamily:
Muricoidea
Family:
Muricidae
Subfamily:
Muricinae
Genus:
Pterynotus
Species:
P. loebbeckei
Binomial name
Pterynotus loebbeckei
(Kobelt, In Loebbecke & Kobelt, 1879)
Synonyms[1]

Murex (Pteronotus) loebbeckei Kobelt, in Loebbecke & Kobelt, 1879

Description

Peter Dance (1969) said that the shell of Pterynotus loebbeckei was "the loveliest, most exquisite natural object he has ever seen." The shell is fairly uniform in color and is typically a pastel to bright orange, although white, pastel pink and yellow forms exist. There are 7 to 9 body whorls after the nuclear whorls, each whorl bearing three prominently protruding varices that are often referred to as wings, and six knobs evenly spaced so that there are two knobs between each varix. The shell has a scaley microsculpture and prominent spiral cords which give the shell a lacey appearance, and the prominent "wings" are wavy and smoother than the whorls. The siphonal canal also has a prominent "wing" similar to the varices after which the siphonal canal has a sharp recurved bend.

The aperture is subovate and the operculum is reddish brown. Adult size is from 35 mm to 80 mm in length. Larger shells have more prominent "wings" and have been loosely compared to tropical flowers.[2][3]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Indo-Pacific region, however it is most often found subtidally throughout the Philippines, in depths to 100 to 250 m.[3]

References
  1. Pterynotus loebbeckei (Kobelt, In Loebbecke & Kobelt, 1879). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 24 April 2010.
  2. Murex Shells of the World, An Illustrated Guide to the Muricidae (1976), by George E. Radwin and Anthond D'Attilio, p. 99, Stanford University Press, ISBN 0-8047-0897-5
  3. Philippine Marine Mollusks, Vol. II (2008), by Guido T. Poppe, p.182, Conchbooks, Hackenheim, Germany, ISBN 978-3-939767-17-6


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