Xenophora neozelanica

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Xenophora neozelanica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Orthogastropoda
Superorder: Heterobranchia
Order: Sorbeoconcha
Suborder: Hypsogastropoda
Family: Xenophoridae
Genus: Xenophora
Species: X. neozelanica
Binomial name
Xenophora neozelanica
Suter, 1908
Synonyms

Onustus neozelanicus Finlay, 1927

Xenophora neozelanica, is a species of medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Xenophoridae, the carrier snails or carrier shells.

Contents

[edit] Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. It is found in the North Island north of East Cape.

[edit] Habitat

This carrier snail lives at depths of between 35 and 90 m.

[edit] Shell description

The shell of this species is large and broadly trochiform, with a concave base. In life the snail cements shells or small pebbles onto the rim of its shell at more or less regular intervals. What is cemented there is a function of what is available on the substrate on which the snail lives.

The aperture of the shell is large and deeply concave. The sculpture of the dorsal surface is irregularly corrugated, where shell and other debris is not embedded.

The base is white with numerous brown sharply-raised arcuate ridges.

The shell height is up to 45 mm, and the width up to 62 mm (exclusive of the attached material).

[edit] References