Oenopota althorpi is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Mangeliidae.
Taxonomy
The species was first described by the American malacologist William Healey Dall in 1919 under the original name Mangilia althorpi. It has since been reclassified into the genus Oenopota, with the synonym Mangelia althorpi (Dall, 1919) also recognized. Its taxonomic classification is as follows:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Mollusca
- Class: Gastropoda
- Order: Neogastropoda
- Superfamily: Conoidea
- Family: Mangeliidae
- Genus: Oenopota
- Species: Oenopota althorpi
Description
The shell of Oenopota althorpi attains a length of approximately 11.5 mm and a diameter of about 4.5 mm. According to Dall's original description, the small shell is waxen white and superficially resembles Oenopota granitica (Dall, 1919), but differs in several particulars: it has one fewer rib; the two prominent spiral cords on the early whorls are strongly nodulous where they cross the ribs, especially the posterior cord, even on the body whorl. The spiral sculpture on the body whorl in front of the fasciole comprises ten strong, flattish cords separated by very sharp, narrow grooves, with no spiral sculpture on the back of the siphonal canal, which is distinctly shorter. The aperture is relatively shorter and wider. The protoconch is apparently similar but eroded; the number of whorls is the same, but the shell is shorter.
Distribution
This species occurs in the waters off Alaska, specifically found at Port Althorp.
References
- Dall (1919) "Descriptions of new species of Mollusca from the North Pacific Ocean"; Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum, vol. 56 (1920).
- Tucker, J.K. (2004). "Catalog of recent and fossil turrids (Mollusca: Gastropoda)". Zootaxa. 682: 1–1295.
