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Macquariella kingensis (May, 1904) Description: "Small, thin, naticiform, with depressed spire, last whorl bulbous, aperture large, narrowly umbilicate. Protoconch weakly convex, of 1 ½ whorls, teleoconch of up to 2 ¼ convex whorls, sutures adpressed. Last ½ whorl descends rather rapidly in larger specimens. Aperture large, oval, inner lip a thin glaze over columella and parietal area in juveniles, thickened and semidetached in mature shells. Outer lip advanced posteriorly, edge thin, simple, slightly thickened internally and excavated anteriorly. Columella prominent, long, subvertical, slightly concave. Umbilicus small, relatively larger in mature shells than in immature specimens. Surface smooth, except for very weak close, axial growth lines. Pale yellow except for umbilical area, lower inner lip and a narrow line below suture which are reddish brown. Operculum corneous." (Ponder, 1976) Size: Up to 2.5 mm in length. Distribution: Endemic to Australia: known from Green Cape, NSW, southwards to Port Fairy, Victoria. Habitat: Intertidal on algae. Remarks: This species closely resembles a minute naticid in shape, so much so that it was originally described in the genus Natica. Hedley erroneously considered it to be the juvenile of the common large naticid Glossaulax didyma. Ponder (1976) described the external anatomy and radula, showing it belongs in the Littorinidae. Figs. 1,2: Westernport, Victoria (C.392317) |
