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José H. Leal

Shell of the Week: The Fingerprint Cyphoma

Cyphoma signatumPilsbry and McGinty, 1939 reaches about 40 mm. The elongate shell has blunt ends, Color buff with faint pinkish-orange tinges above and below the whitish dorsal ridge (the transversal “swelling” on the back of the shell.) The mantle of the living snail has elongated black markings set on a yellowish background, the resulting pattern resembling fingerprints. The shell differs from Cyphoma intermedium by more elongate shape, heavier, well-defined dorsal ridge and resulting calluses, and blunter ends. The aperture is slightly wider anteriorly (bottom of the images) than in C. mcgintyi. The shell illustrated was recently collected by brothers Holt and Cabe Rieck at Turner Beach, Captiva.


The Fingerprint Cyphoma, Cyphoma signatum, from Captiva, Florida. Photos by José H. Leal.

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