Recluzia rollandiana Petit, 1853
Overview
This is a large, shelled pelagic snail. It lives in the pleuston and has no swimming fins. The dextral shell is highly coiled, pointed and has 6 convex whorls. There are 3 spiral lines on the teleoconch. The shell is brown. The aperture is oval, the columella is straight with a small tooth in the middle. It is a carnivorous species predating on relatively large floating animals (Recluzia rollandiana 2).
Taxonomic Description
High coiled thin shell of chocolate brown colour. The whorls are globose, the suture is deep. The umbilicus is small (Recluzia rollandiana). There are three spiral lines on the shell and a smooth transverse undulation parallel to the growth line is seen. The body and tentacles are sulfur-yellow. The first whorls of the spire are decalcified (Recluzia rollandiana apex).
The shell is 13 to 25 mm high.
Juveniles
The juveniles have a dextrally coiled shell. A special description is not available.
Ecology
This species belongs to the pleuston and feeds on the floating anemone Minyas.
Distribution
Recluzia rollandiana is known from southern Texas; Puerte-Citos Baja California Norte Mexico; Cochori beach near Guaymas; 12 km south of Matanchen, Nayarit.
Types
The types are not located (Recluzia rollandiana 1, holotype).