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HAMINOEIDAE |
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Liloa brevis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833) Description: Shell elongate-ovate, lightweight, involute. Apex with shallow depression, not umbilicate. Last whorl with sides slightly convex; shell surface irregular, with axial growth lines and widely-spaced spiral threads at base. Aperture moderately wide posteriorly, widening out anteriorly where it is decidedly truncate as though it were broken; outer lip sharp. Columella smooth, regularly curved. Parietal wall with thin, corneous covering. Shell opaque white. Size: Up to 16 mm in length. Distribution: Endemic to Australia. Port Stevens, NSW, southwards and around southern Australia to Fremantle, WA, including Tas. Habitat: Empty shells are common in beach washup and down to 10 m depth. The species lives in sheltered sand and silty areas from the intertidal down to the limit of algal growth, crawling just below the surface and feeding on algae and algal films. Common in southern Australia, uncommon in NSW. Synonymy: Haminoea cuticulifera (E.A. Smith, 1872) is a synonym which has been used in Australian literature. Fig. 1: Port Stephens, NSW (C.395226). |
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