Reaching 18 mm (about 0.7 inches) in size, Epitonium albidum (d’Orbigny, 1842) has a thin, light shell with a sculpture of 10–14 sharp, delicate, blade-like ribs (known as “costae”). Unlike other local wentletrap species, the ribs on the Bladed Wentletrap bear no hooks or projections. The ribs on successive whorls are aligned, forming slanted “rows.” The shell in the image is from the Bahamas, but the species is also found on Sanibel and other parts of Florida, including the Florida Keys. A large reproduction of this illustration is on display in the In Focus exhibition at the National Shell Museum.
Comentários