Anatoma aspera Philippi 1844

Anatoma aspera (Philippi, 1844)

Fig. 12 a–c

Scissurella aspera Philippi, 1844 (p. 160, pl. 25, fig. 17).

Scissurella affinis Costa O.G., 1861 (p. 62, pl. 10, fig. 2b).

Anatoma aspera (Philippi, 1844) — Geiger 2012 (pp. 774–788). [cum syn.]

Diagnostic characters. Thin turbiniform shell; relatively low spire; rounded aperture with reflexed inner lip; moderately wide and deep umbilicus; numerous fine and sinuous collabral threads crossed by weaker spiral ones; two peripheral lamellar keels bordering the anal slit. Protoconch: planispiral; 1.25 whorls; diameter about 150 µm; flocculent sculpture (granules aggregated in an irregular polygonal pattern); transition to the teleoconch preceded by a cord-like varix not extended to the whole peristome.

Remarks. The superficially similar Anatoma tenuisculpta (Seguenza, 1880) is proportionally wider and more discoidal in shape. Anatoma aspera has been often misidentified with A. crispata (Fleming, 1828) that is probably absent in the Mediterranean, except for the Alboran basin (Peñas et al. 2006; Micali & Geiger 2015). The identity of Santa Maria di Leuca specimens was confirmed by Dr. D.L. Geiger, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (2016, personal communication). See Geiger (2012) for a comprehensive chresonymy of this species.

Occurrence. Box-corer samples BC05 (3 specimens), BC66 (5), BC67 (1), BC70 (1), BC71 (3), BC72 (10); cores BC21 (1), BC51 (1), BC67 (1), BC72 (3). Maximum height: 2.5 mm.

Distribution and habitat. Anatoma aspera occurs in the Atlantic Ocean (from Norway and Faroe Islands to Angola, and possibly to the Caribbean) and in the Mediterranean as far East as the Aegean Sea; it dwells on sandy to gravelly bottoms at shelf to bathyal depth (Peñas et al. 2006; Høisaeter 2009; Geiger 2012; Gofas et al. 2014; Cordeiro et al. 2015).

Fossil record. Anatoma aspera was described on Pleistocene material from Calabria, Italy (Philippi 1844).