Image of Peltospira McLean 1989

Description:

This protoconch has approximately 16-18 lines, beginning in a V at the axis of coiling and following the curvature of the shell, stopping abruptly at the same point about 2/3 of the way to the aperture. The aperture is perfectly circular when viewed from the bottom and is surrounded by a narrow rim which flares out to the sides when viewed from the top. It looks more streamlined than most peltospirids, since it is shorter for its diameter and the base is more smoothly rounded. It matches the SEM of Peltospira operculata in Mullineaux et al. (1996) in size and general appearance, but is also very similar to the Nodopelta subnoda protoconch (SEM, Desbruyères et al. (2006) p. 117). Molecular work is ongoing and may help to resolve the issue. In the meantime, we have attributed this protoconch to Peltospira, as it is the most common genus at 9°N.