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ARCHITECTONICIDAE |
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Solatisonax injussa Iredale, 1931 Description: Shell flat to moderately tall (Fig. 4), width to height ration 1.5–2.7. Whorls convex on their upper half, concave on their lower half; flatter shells with keel on last whorl. Whorls sculptured with fine spiral threads, irregular in strength and spacing, crossed by numerous fine growth lines. Umbilicus wide in flatter shells, narrower in taller shells, occupying 31-38% of base width. Umbilical margin finely crenulated, bordered with weak spiral cords. Remainder of base with very fine spiral threads. Spire fawn, occasionally with irregular axial tan streaks, sometimes with darker broad band around middle of whorls; peripheral keel lighter fawn; base white to grey. Size: Up to 28 mm in diameter. Distribution: Australia and Kermadec Islands. In Australia known from Tweed Heads, NSW, southwards to Cape Everard, Vic. Habitat: Recorded from 137–457 m. Moderately common. Remarks: This species is greatly variable in height, the tallest specimens being almost twice as tall as the lowest specimens of the same diameter. The peripheral keel becomes more pronounced as the shell becomes lower, but sculpture is fairly constant. The variation seems not to be correlated with depth or habitat, as one lot of 23 specimens from off Port Kembla shows almost the entire range of variation. Fig. 4 demonstrates the extremes of shape for the species. Figs. 1–3: Off Sydney in 457–476 m (C.368204) Fig. 4: a. Off Broken Bay, NSW, in 137 m (C. 091662) b. NE of Wollongong, NSW, in 457–484 m (C.100864). |
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