Zalipais inscripta (Tate 1899)

Zalipais inscripta is a species of minute sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Skeneidae.^[1]

Description

The height of the shell attains 1.2 mm, its diameter 2.2 mm. The minute, very fragile shell has a discoidal shape. It is diaphanous and widely umbilicated. The spire is flat, not rising above the plane of the last whorl. The four whorls are convex, with a gentle antesutural slope. The surface of the shell is smooth and shining, but incremental striae are visible under magnification. The aperture is roundly oval, a little wider than high. The peristome of the holotype is incomplete.^[2]

Distribution

This marine species is endemic to Australia and occurs off New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria.

References

• Kershaw, R.C. 1955. A systematic list of the Mollusca of Tasmania, Australia. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 89: 289-355
• Cotton, B.C. 1959. South Australian Mollusca. Archaeogastropoda. Handbook of the Flora and Fauna of South Australia. Adelaide : South Australian Government Printer 449 pp.
• Iredale, T. & McMichael, D.F. 1962. A reference list of the marine Mollusca of New South Wales. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 11: 1-109