Habitat
provided by Invertebrates of the Salish Sea
Seaweeds in shallow water. Lives higher on kelp than does C. ligatum but below C. canaliculatum in CA.
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Distribution
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Geographical Range: Forester Island, Alaska to Isla San Geronimo, Baja California
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Habitat
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Depth Range: Almost never intertidal. More common on the open coast than in the Sound/Straits, although it is abundant subtidally in some areas of the San Juan Islands.
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Comprehensive Description
provided by Invertebrates of the Salish Sea
A top shell with a pearly interior, no nodes on columella, umbilicus closed, spiral ridges are beaded and brown on a cream or yellow background. Most anterior spiral ridge on each whorl is violet or purple. The apex is also usually purple. Base of body whorl is nearly flat. The whorls are only slightly inflated, and the sutures between whorls are not deeply indented. Animal is pinkish orange with brown dorsal spots. Shell is up to about 2-3 cm diameter/height, and usually has 8 flattened whorls. The shell colors fade after the animal dies.
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Look Alikes
provided by Invertebrates of the Salish Sea
How to Distinguish from Similar Species: C. variegatum also has beaded spiral ridges but they are all tan or brown and the animal is cream with brown spots. C. ligatum has unbeaded spiral ridges and the animal is orange.
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Comprehensive Description
provided by Invertebrates of the Salish Sea
Biology/Natural History: This species were collected by Captain James Cook and were among the first mollusk species on the US Pacific Coast to be named. May climb up kelp stalk toward surface in bright weather--can climb 20-30 feet in a day. Feeds on the kelp itself, or on encrusting diatoms, bryozoans, and hydroids. Will also eat detritus and copepods, even may scavenge dead fish or other sea creatures. May attack anemones or nudibranchs. Apparently have "lips" or "jaws" which serve to cut up prey. Mucus is secreted on the shell, which may help deter predation.
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Calliostoma annulatum
provided by wikipedia EN
Calliostoma annulatum, also known as the purple-ring topsnail, blue-ring topsnail or jeweled topsnail, is a medium-sized sea snail with gills and an operculum.[1]
This is a sublittoral marine gastropod mollusk in the family Calliostomatidae. This snail lives off of the Pacific coast of North America.
Range of distribution
This top shell can be found in the littoral zone from Isla San Geronimo, Baja California, north to Forrester Island, Alaska.
Shell description
The shell height varies between 16 mm and 35 mm. The elevated-conic shell is imperforate and rather thin. This species is distinguished by its brilliantly colored shell, which is lustrous with a gold field, dotted with brown on the spiral rows of grains, the periphery or lower edge of each whorl encircled by a zone of violet or magenta stripes, the axis surrounded by a tract of the same. The brilliance of the colors fades somewhat once the animal dies. The thin shell shows numerous granulose spiral riblets, about 7 on the penultimate whorl, 9 or 10 on the base. It has few or none interstitial lirulae. The acute, reddish apex is minute. The sutures are slightly impressed. There are about 9 whorls, slightly convex, the last angular at periphery, flattened beneath. The rhomboidal aperture is oblique, fluted within. There is no umbilicus.[2] The head and foot of the animal has a yellow-orange color with brown spots. The color of the shell is gold with purple stripes.
Life habits
This species is fairly omnivorous, feeding seasonally on kelp, sessile fauna like bryozoans, and detritus.
Two individuals of
Calliostoma annulatum are visible on this
hydrocoral
References
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Calliostoma annulatum
- Race Rocks Taxonomy. Calliostoma annulatum
- Key to Invertebrates Found At or Near Walla Walla College Marine Station.
- Turgeon, D.D., et al. 1998. Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates of the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society Special Publication 26 page(s), p. 61
- Calliostoma annulatum
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Calliostoma annulatum: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
Calliostoma annulatum, also known as the purple-ring topsnail, blue-ring topsnail or jeweled topsnail, is a medium-sized sea snail with gills and an operculum.
This is a sublittoral marine gastropod mollusk in the family Calliostomatidae. This snail lives off of the Pacific coast of North America.
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Distribution
provided by World Register of Marine Species
East of Afognak Island, Gulf of Alaska, to the coast of Alaska from Forrester Island and Bear Bay, south to Isla San Geronimo off the west coast of northern Baja California, Mexico. Scarce south of Santa Barbara, California.
Tuskes P.M. & McGowan-Tuskes A. (2019). Calliostoma and Akoya of the Californian Marine Province (Gastropoda: Calliostomatidae). The Festivus. 51(1): 11-28.
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