Ethaliella rhodomphala is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails.Bouchet, P. (2012). Ethaliella rhodomphala (E.A. Smith, 1903). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=547306 on 2012-11-23Poppe G.T., Tagaro S.P. & Dekker H. (2006) The Seguenziidae, Chilodontidae, Trochidae, Calliostomatidae and Solariellidae of the Philippine Islands. Visaya Supplement 2: 1-228.
Taxonomy This name is temporarily accepted as an unreplaced junior homonym of Ethaliella rhodomphala (Souverbie, 1875)
Description The shell measures 8 mm in maximum diameter, 7 mm in minimum diameter, and 3.75 mm in height.
(Original description in Latin) The shell is orbicular, with the upper surface forming a short cone, and is narrowly and partly covered umbilicate. At the periphery it is sharply angled. The upper surface is whitish, painted with a few scattered dark spots and very fine, irregular, wavy radial lines, and at the periphery it is ornamented with semi‑translucent pink spots. The underside is variegated with irregular, slightly zigzag opaque white lines, and the area around the umbilicus is pink. The six whorls are smooth and glossy; the body whorl is sculptured with a few striae around its mid‑region and is radially plicate around the umbilicus.
The aperture is obliquely subquadrate, pearly and iridescent. The columella is thick, pearly in its central portion, strongly reflected, and white or pink; it is calloused and partly covers the umbilicus. Smith, E. A. (1903). Marine Mollusca. In: Gardiner, J. S. (Ed.) 1901-1906. The fauna and geography of the Maldive and Laccadive archipelagoes: being an account of the work carried on and of the collections made by an expedition during the years 1899 and 1900, 2(2): pp. 589-630, pls. 35-36
Distribution This marine species occurs off the Maldives, New Caledonia and New South Wales (Australia).
The New Caledonian occurrence may actually be Trochus (Monilea) rhodomphalus Souverbie, 1875.Souverbie, Journal de Conchyliologie, 1875, p. 36, PI. 4, fig. 3. This species seems, as Fischer has suggested, close to Trochus rotelloeformis Philippi.Philippi, Conchylien Cabinet, Trochus, p. 302, PI. 44, fig. 2.
References
External links Encyclopedia of Life World Register of Marine Species Héros et al. (2007), Compendium of marine species of New Caledonia. Doc. Sci. Tech. IRD, Nouméa. II7(2): 199-254 Michael Rule et al. (2007), The marine environment of northern New South Wales