Pictocolumbella ocellata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
Order:
Neogastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Neogastropoda
Superfamily:
Buccinoidea
Family:
Columbellidae
Genus:
Pictocolumbella
Species:
P. ocellata
Binomial name
Pictocolumbella ocellata
(Link, 1807)
Synonyms[1]
  • Columbella fulgurans Lamarck, 1822
  • Columbella fulgurans fulgurans Dupuis, 1931
  • Columbella fulgurans var. albocincta Friedrick, 1957
  • Columbella fulgurans var. eufulgurans Melvill & Standen, 1899
  • Columbella fuliginosa Dupuis, 1931
  • Columbella mitriformis King & Broderip, 1831
  • Columbella ocellata Link, 1807 (basionym)
  • Columbella punctata Lamarck, 1822
  • Pyrene ocellata (Link, 1807)

Pictocolumbella ocellata, or the lightning dove shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Columbellidae, the dove snails.[1]

Description

The shell size varies between 13 mm and 20 mm. The colour of the shell is commonly a dark brown colour, but it can also be red or orange. The pattern on the outside of the shell varies between zigzags, small spots, and triangle-like shapes all in a white or yellowish colour. The tip of the shell is white; near the opening it turns into a pinkish colour.

Distribution

This species is distributed in the Indian Ocean along Madagascar and in the Western Pacific (in warm tropical water).

The Lightning Dove Shell lives on sandy and muddy bottoms, and the shell colour varies greatly.

References

  • Dautzenberg, Ph. (1929). Mollusques testacés marins de Madagascar. Faune des Colonies Francaises, Tome III
  • Richmond, M. (Ed.) (1997). A guide to the seashores of Eastern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean islands. Sida/Department for Research Cooperation, SAREC: Stockholm, Sweden. ISBN 91-630-4594-X. 448 pp.
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