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Lyria laseroni Iredale, 1937 Description: Shell medium in weight, bulbous, with a low spire. Smooth except for a few weak spiral grooves above the shoulder. Aperture wide anteriorly, constricted posteriorly; columella with 2 plaits at the anterior extremity, with one or more small plaits above. Outer lip simple, thickened centrally. Background colour cream, marked with 3 spiral bands of chestnut brown, and thin, widely spaced dark brown spiral lines, which may only be present on the last half of the body whorl or on the outer lip; interior violet. Size: Adult shells 22-29 mm. Distribution: Endemic to NSW; Wooli, NSW to Halliday's Point, NSW. Also reported from "deep waters off Lord Howe Island" (Bail & Poppe, 2004). Habitat: Known mainly from dead beach shells. Rare Remarks: The Australian Museum holds 14 specimens of this rare species, all collected as empty beach shells. It is found over a small range - Wooli to Hallidays Point is a distance of about 200 km. As far as this author is aware, it has never been collected alive. Fig. 1 Woolgoolga, NSW, beach (C.081098) |
