Vexillum vulpecula (common name: the Little Fox Mitre) is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Costellariidae, the ribbed miters.[1]

Vexillum vulpecula
Vexillum vulpecula
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Turbinelloidea
Family: Costellariidae
Genus: Vexillum
Species:
V. vulpecula
Binomial name
Vexillum vulpecula
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[1] * [2]
  • Mitra vulpecula Linnaeus, 1758
  • Vexillum superbum Röding, P.F., 1798
  • Mitra bifasciata Swainson, 1821
  • Mitra zonalis Quoy, J.R.C. & J.P. Gaimard, 1833
  • Mitra crispata Küster, 1840
  • Mitra nodosa Swainson, W.A., 1840
  • Vexillum plicatissima Küster, H.C., 1840
  • Mitra staminea Dall, W.H., 1905
  • Vexillum pervariabilis Dautzenberg, Ph., 1935
  • Vexillum rugata Dautzenberg, Ph., 1935
  • Vexillum simulans Dautzenberg, Ph., 1935

Description edit

The shell size varies between 27 mm and 72 mm.

The shell is stoutly fusiform with a high spire. The spire is acuminated. The seven whorls are transversely impressly striated with narrow spiral grooves, sometimes smooth towards the upper part and longitudinally ribbed. The ribs are rude, obtuse, of the body whorl sometimes indistinct. The ribs become strong at the angular shoulder. The suture is channeled. The outer lip is slightly concave and lirate within. The shell is whitish or yellowish orange, more or less banded with brown, sometimes encircled with pale reddish fillets, base and apex blackish. The white columella is four-plaited, stained at the upper part with black.[3]

Distribution edit

This species occurs in the Indo-West Pacific near Madagascar and Mozambique and in the Pacific Ocean the Philippines, Fiji and Okinawa; also off New Caledonia and Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia).

References edit

  1. ^ a b MolluscaBase eds. (2023). MolluscaBase. Vexillum vulpecula (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=591540 on 2023-05-30}
  2. ^ "Vexillum (Vexillum) vulpecula". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  3. ^ Reeve, L. A. (1844-1845). Monograph of the genus Mitra. In: Conchologia Iconica, or, illustrations of the shells of molluscous animals, vol. 2, pl. 1-39 and unpaginated text. L. Reeve & Co., London.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • De Mar 1877. Cas tératologiques. Recherches Fauna Madagascar 3 5: pp. 1–21
  • Dautzenberg, Ph. (1929). Mollusques testacés marins de Madagascar. Faune des Colonies Françaises, Vol. III
  • Cernohorsky, W.O. 1970. Systematics of the families Mitridae & Volutomitridae (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Bulletin of the Auckland Institute and Museum. Auckland, New Zealand 8: 1-190
  • Hinton, A. 1972. Shells of New Guinea and the central Indo-Pacific. Milton : Jacaranda Press xviii 94 pp.
  • Turner, H. 1989. Ungewöhnliche und neue Mitroidea aus dem Indopazifik. Teil 1. Club Conchylia Informationen 21(5/6): 30-62
  • Wilson, B. 1994. Australian marine shells. Prosobranch gastropods. Kallaroo, WA : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 2 370 pp.
  • Salisbury, R. 2000. Costellariidae of the World, Pt. 3. Of Sea and Shore 23(1): 4-14
  • Turner H. 2001. Katalog der Familie Costellariidae Macdonald, 1860. Conchbooks. 1-100 page(s)[clarification needed]: 68
  • Arnaud, J.P., Berthault, C., Jeanpierre, R., Martin, J.C. & Martin, P. 2002. Costellariidae et Mitridae de Nouvelle Calédonie. Xenophora. Association française de conchyliologie. Supplément 100: 52 pp.
  • Thach, N.N. 2002. The miters of Vietnam. Of Sea and Shore 25(1): 40-51
  • Steyn, D. G.; Lussi, M. (2005). Offshore Shells of Southern Africa: A pictorial guide to more than 750 Gastropods. Published by the authors. pp. i–vi, 1–289.

External links edit