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Smaragdia tragena (Iredale, 1936)

Description: Shell with low spire, width less than height. Surface smooth and glossy. Columellar callus reflected onto body whorl as smooth, thick deck. Columella concave, with about 8 denticles centrally, decreasing in size from top to bottom. Outer lip sharp, smooth, simple. Colour white background, with reddish-brown flames descending from suture, and 6 or 7 spiral bands of brown or reddish-brown square or rectangular patches, sometimes outlined with darker brown. Operculum unknown.

Size: Up to 6 mm in height.

Distribution: Known from Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Reunion. In Australia, a discontinuous distribution from Torres Strait southwards to Capricorn Group, Queensland, and then Port Stephens southwards to Sydney, NSW.

Habitat: In NSW, known only from estuaries, beach collected and down to 27 m. Rare.

Comparison: Larger than T. souverbiana with a different colour pattern.

Synonymy: Smaragdia abakionigraphis Drivas & Jay, 1989, described from Reunion, is this species.

Remarks: The Indonesia and Reunion records are based on literature reports of S. abakionigraphis.

Figs. 1,2:  HOLOTYPE Sydney Harbour (C.060630)

 


Copyright Des Beechey 2005