Scaphander punctostriatus

Scaphander punctostriatus
Shell of Scaphander punctostriatus (syntype in the MNHN, Paris)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Family:	Scaphandridae
Genus:	Scaphander
Species:	S. punctostriatus
Binomial name
Scaphander punctostriatus (Mighels & C. B. Adams, 1842
Synonyms
Bulla inesperata Locard, 1897 junior subjective synonym Bulla punctostriata Mighels & C. B. Adams, 1842 Cryptaxis crebripunctatus Jeffreys, 1883 Scaphander librarius Lovén, 1846 Scaphander punctostriatus var. elongata Locard, 1897 Scaphander punctostriatus var. inflata Locard, 1897 Scaphander punctostriatus var. intermedia Locard, 1897

Scaphander punctostriatus, common name the giant canoe bubble, is a species of sea snail, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Scaphandridae, the canoe bubbles.

Description

The length of the shell varies between 30 mm and 40 mm.

The shell is elongate, thin, and somewhat bubble-like, with a fragile structure. There is no evident spire, as the body whorl expands rapidly, covering the earlier whorls. The surface appears smooth but, under a microscope, reveals fine spiral lines of tiny, elongated pits (punctations). The aperture is elongated and very broad at the base. The animal is large and cannot fully retract into the shell.

The shell is whitish, covered by a thin yellowish periostracum, and occasionally displays faint, darker spiral bands. The animal itself is yellowish-white.

Distribution

This marine species occurs widely in the North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Mediterranean. Off South Africa is it is found on the outer continental shelf and upper slope along the West Coast and Agulhas Bank, at depths of 170–2700 meters.