Calliostoma selectum
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 Calliostoma selectum from the Kapiti Coast, north of Wellington, New Zealand
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| Calliostoma selectum (Dillwyn,1817) |
Calliostoma selectum is a species of medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc. Some authors have placed this genus in the Family Calliostomatidae, but other malacologists have left it in the family Trochidae.
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[edit] Distribution
This species is endemic to New Zealand. It is found around both the North and South islands.
[edit] Habitat
This top shell is found from shallow water to 90 m off coastal sandy beaches. It is especially abundant along the Wellington west coast.
[edit] Shell description
The shell is broadly conical, with a sharply angled periphery. The external colour is pinkish-buff above. The beaded cords are speckled in light brown, but without any larger maculations. The base of the shell is plain whitish, and the aperture is iridescent.
Deeper-water shells tend to be larger, more solid, taller spired, and with a more rounded periphery.
The shell height is up to 57 mm, and the width is up to 62 mm.
[edit] References
- Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
