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6954-1.jpg (374327 bytes)

 

 

Scalenostoma lodderae (Petterd, 1884)

Description: Shell relatively large, fragile, spire concave, straight or slightly bent; height to width ratio variable. Whorls convex, suture well defined; early whorls transparent, smooth; later whorls with indistinct, irregular spiral threads crossed by dense, irregular growth lines; last whorl sometimes angled at periphery. Outer lip scars irregularly placed, obscured by axial growth lines. Aperture wide, about one-quarter of shell length. Outer lip usually thin, broken. Colour white.

Size: Up to 15 mm in length.

Distribution: Endemic to Australia: southern Qld, southwards and around southern Australia to south-western WA, including Tasmania.

Habitat: Most specimens are empty shells from beach washup. There is no report of the host of this species, but other species of Scalenostoma are parasitic on hard corals (Warén, 1980). Moderately common.

Remarks: Warén, (1980) examined the anatomy of this species. He reported it to be a consecutive hermaphrodite, with the smooth early whorls of the shell created during the male stage, and the later rapidly expanding whorls during the female stage.

Fig. 1: North Harbour, Sydney, NSW (C.363344)

 

Copyright Des Beechey 2015