Kermia thespesia is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.[1]

Kermia thespesia
Original image of a shell of Kermia thespesia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Conoidea
Family: Raphitomidae
Genus: Kermia
Species:
K. thespesia
Binomial name
Kermia thespesia
(Melvill & Standen, 1896)
Synonyms[1]
  • Clathurella subfelina Hervier, 1897
  • Daphnella thespesia Melvill & Standen, 1896 (basionym)
  • Pleurotomoides thespesia (Melvill & Sanden, 1896)

Description

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The length of the shell attains 6 mm, its diameter 2.5 mm.

(Original description) A beautiful species, by the description and figure allied to Daphnella varicosa (Souverbie & Montrozier, 1874) from the same region. There are, however, no signs of varices. The shell is pure delicate white, with seven or eight whorls, of which three are apical and vitreous brown. The remainder are finely decussate. Where the spiral lines cross the oblique riblets a gemmuliferous appearance is presented. The whorls are squarely ventricose, impressed at the sutures. The coloration consists in orange-brown lines, different in number in every specimen. Some specimens are almost plain, others have a row of square brown spots just below the suture on the body whorl. The aperture is oblong. The outer lip is incrassate, suturally expanded, finely denticulate within. The sinus is broad, but not deep.[2]

Distribution

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This marine species occurs off the Loyalty Islands and off Mauritius, Taiwan, New Caledonia and in the Coral Sea.

References

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  • Hedley, C. 1907. The Mollusca of Mast Head Reef, Capricorn Group, Queensland, part II. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 32: 476–513, pls 16–21
  • Dautzenberg, Ph. (1929). Mollusques testacés marins de Madagascar. Faune des Colonies Francaises, Tome III
  • Zhenguo, Z. 1995. Studies on micromolluscan Turridae of Lüdao Islet, Taiwan. Studia Marina Sinica 36: 273–296, 5 pls
  • Liu J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. China Science Press. 1267 pp.
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  • Tucker, J.K. (2004). "Catalog of recent and fossil turrids (Mollusca: Gastropoda)" (PDF). Zootaxa. 682: 1–1295. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.682.1.1.
  • Gastropods.com: Kermia thespesia