Bulla vernicosa A. A. Gould, 1859

Description

A glossy bullid with an ovate-globose shell reaching about 30 mm in length. Shell ground brown to greyish brown with darker brown blotches and fine white speckles, traversed by four bands of darker, occasionally angulate spots. Aperture narrow, with a red-margined outer lip and a porcelain-white throat. Less inflated than Bulla ampulla and more globose than Bulla australis. Soft parts yellowish brown with brown markings and fine white dots.

Distribution

Western Pacific and central Pacific. Records include Indonesia, Japan and Hawaii. The type locality is the Loo Choo (Ryukyu) Islands, Japan.

Etymology

The specific epithet vernicosa is the Latin for "varnished" or "glossy" (from vernix, "varnish"), referring to the highly polished surface of the shell.

Remarks

Originally described in Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History 7: 138 (1859) among the shells brought home by the United States North Pacific Exploring Expedition (1853–1856). Gould compared the species directly to Bulla ampulla and to the Australian Bulla australis.

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References

• Bulla vernicosa, Gould A.A. (1859). Descriptions of new species of shells brought home by the North Pacific Exploring Expedition. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, 7: 138-142, 161-166, 169-173.