Telodiacria quadridentata (Blainville, 1821)

Description

A small shelled pteropod whose shell is nearly equally long and wide, oval to squarish in dorsal view. The dorsal side bears deep longitudinal grooves and the ventral side is strongly swollen. The outer lip on the dorsal side is shaped like a half-round flange, and the shell aperture margin is bordered in brown. The protoconch is not retained, but the compressed early shell resembles that of Diacria trispinosa. Spoel (1967, 1968) proposed two subspecies, but intermediate forms make the boundary indistinct.

Distribution

Originally described from Mediterranean–Atlantic material. Subsequently recorded in temperate and tropical oceans worldwide.

Etymology

The specific epithet quadridentata combines the Latin quadri- ("four") and dentata ("toothed"), in reference to the four projections along the shell aperture.

Remarks

A pelagic plankton-feeder belonging to the family Cavoliniidae (shelled pteropods).

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References

• Hyalaea quadridentata, Blainville H.M.D. de (1821). Hyale, Hyalæa. Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles. 22. Levrault, Strasbourg & Le Normant, Paris.
• 奥谷喬司. (2017). わが国近海に見られる浮遊性巻貝類 V 有殻翼足類・カメガイ亜科. うみうし通信. 92.
• Telodiacria quadridentata n. comb., Rampal J. (2017). Euthecosomata (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Thecosomata). Taxonomic review. https://doi.org/10.1101/098475
• キヨコカメガイ, 中野理枝. (2019). 日本のウミウシ. 第二版. 文一総合出版.