Austrobela pyrrhogramma


Austrobela pyrrhogramma is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.

Description

The length of the shell attains 17.2 mm, its diameter 5 mm.
The shell is solid, with a tall, high-spired form that tapers to a sharply acuminate apex. It is composed of ten whorls separated by a shallow yet clearly defined suture. The four embryonic whorls are convex: the first is faintly transversely striated, while the remaining three are finely reticulated. The post-embryonic whorls display, below the excavated infra-sutural zone — ornamented with arched growth folds — a distinct and well-defined keel. Beyond this keel, the whorls become slightly convex and are furnished with arched longitudinal folds directed opposite to those of the infra-sutural zone, as well as with numerous equal, regular, descending cords that pass over the folds. The aperture is elongate-oval, angular at the top and narrowed at the base, where it ends in a short, open siphonal canal. The columella is nearly perpendicular and bears a thin, closely appressed callus. The outer lip is simple, sharp-edged, and broadly and fairly deeply notched at the top. The coloration is white, adorned with narrow longitudinal flame-like markings of yellowish-brown, arranged along the lines of growth; these markings vary considerably in intensity. The embryonic whorls are light brown in color.

Distribution

This species occurs in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores and in the Bay of Biscay.