Antimelatoma buchanani maorum

Antimelatoma buchanani maorum is a subspecies of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Turridae.

Distribution

This subspecies is endemic to New Zealand, found off the north east coast of the North Island.

Habitat

This turrid is found at depths of between 7 and 11 m.

Shell description

The shell has a narrow, deeply concave shoulder slope. Sculpture consists of numerous, bluntly rounded, oblique axials, and narrowly rounded spiral cords from the shoulder angle downwards, five or six on the spire-whorls.

The Pleistocene Antimelatoma buchanani Hutton, 1873 differs mainly in having a slightly longer siphonal canal.

The shell coloration is grayish to pale brownish.

Shell height is up to 18 mm, and width is up to 6 mm.

References

• Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1