Tectonatica spec

Tectonatica spec ., probably T. rizzae (Philippi, 1844) – Fig. 8 View FIGURE 8 B [egg mass: Figs. 3 View FIGURE 3 , 11 View FIGURE 11 B, b]

Natica rizzae Philippi, 1844 . Nachtrag zum zweiten Bande der Enumeratio Molluscorum Siciliae. Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie, 1, 100–112. p. 108.

Natica rizzae Philippi, 1844 View in CoL . Weinkauff (1867), p. 254; Hidalgo (1917), p. 490; Schiró (1978b), p. 4, pl. 1 (second row); Poppe & Goto (1991), p. 121, pl 17, fig. 13; De Smit & Bába (2001), p. 98

+ Natica pyrrhosticta Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1896 View in CoL . Settepassi (1972), p. 22, Bouchet & Warén (1993), p. 764–767, figs. 1822–1823, Barash & Danin (1992), p. 109

Natica ( Naticina) rizzae (Philippi, 1844) View in CoL . Kobelt (1901), p. 93, pl. 55, figs. 16–18

Natica ( Lunatia) rizzae (Philippi, 1844) . Settepassi (1972), p. 14, pl. 9

Lunatia rizzai (Philippi, 1844) . Error of Schiró (1977b), p. 17, for Lunatia rizzae (Philippi, 1844)

+ Lunatia macilenta rizzae (Philippi 1844) . Nordsieck (1982); p. 184, pl. 58, fig. 62.27

+ Natica settepassii Gaglini View in CoL in Settepassi, 1985. Settepassi (1972), pls. 9, 10; Fernandez & Rolán (1993), p. 3; Bouchet & Warén (1993), pp. 764–767, figs. 1822–1823

+ Natica settepassii Gaglini View in CoL in Settepassi, 1985 [= rizzae of authors, non rizzae Philippi, 1844 ]. sensu Sabelli, Sabelli et al. (1990), p. 169

Description

Size: Up to 13,7 mm m.o.d. (off Almeria, Spain; MHC#970515.5). Height 11 mm; width 10.5 mm. Ratio [h/ w] = 1.04. Aperture approximately 78% of shell height. The planctonic larval shell has a diameter of approx. 300 µm.

General shape: Globose, solid shell, 5 slightly convex whorls [teleoconch: 2.5]; similar to T. sagraiana . Sculpture: Minute axial and concentric striae.

Shell color: Glossy, whitish background, marked by numerous closely spaced, wavy, brown axial lines interrupted by a band below midline of body whorl; band formed by irregularly distributed, arrowhead-shaped marks, branching off from axial lines; band of large, dark-brown blotches below suture; additional narrow band with densely spaced arrowheads formed by kinks in axial lines occasionally found in upper third of body whorl; a band of fuzzy dark blotches encircles umbilical area.

Protoconch: Uncolored or slightly yellowish; 2.5 whorls ( Bouchet & Warén 1993). Aperture & outer lip: Aperture half-moon shaped, oblique, lightly angled at top, rounded at bottom; outer lip simple.

Umbilical area: Columellar callus partly overhanging umbilicus from above, covering 2/3 of it; funicle absent; columellar callus brown, red, or purple, sometimes uncolored; border of umbilical canal tinged with brown; parietal callus thick, colored like columellar callus.

Operculum: Calcareous, smooth except for single broad rib on outer lip side.

Animal: Unknown

Egg mass: Flexible, coiled, paucispiral, mucus-cemented band of sand grains with inwardly cambered walls ( Figs. 3 View FIGURE 3 , 11 View FIGURE 11 B/b); 1.25 circles; outer diameter: 37.0 to 48.4 mm in four egg masses (N = 4; mean: 43.5 ± 5.9 mm [SD]).

Differential diagnosis: The shell morphology of T. sagraiana and T. rizzae shows many homologies. While T. rizzae seems to live in deeper water, shells collected in shallow water (< 20 m depth) are always T. sagraiana . Principal distinguishing feature is the operculum that in T. sagraiana lacks a marginal rib that is found in T. rizzae ; in addition, T. sagraiana lacks a subsutural band with regularly-spaced brown blotches that is present in T. rizzae .

Geographical distribution

Giglio Island: Pt. delle Secca (3)

General distribution: Distributed in most of the Mediterranean Sea with reports from the Aegean Sea ( De Smit & Bába 2001); absent in the Adriatic Sea (Schiró, 1977). The species has also been reported from West Africa south to Angola (Fernandez & Rolán 1993), Cape Verde Islands ( Morán et al. 1989).