# Raphitoma purpurea > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Raphitoma_purpurea > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Raphitoma_purpurea.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphitoma_purpurea > Source revision: 1354959736 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Species of gastropod Raphitoma purpurea Shell of Raphitoma purpurea (specimen at MNHN, Paris) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Gastropoda Subclass: Caenogastropoda Order: Neogastropoda Superfamily: Conoidea Family: Raphitomidae Genus: Raphitoma Species: R. purpurea Binomial name Raphitoma purpurea (Montagu, 1803) Synonyms[1] Clathurella purpurea (Montagu, 1803) Defrancia purpurea (Montagu, 1803) Fusus purpureus Fleming, 1828 Homotoma purpurea Montagu, 1804 Mangelia purpurea Risso, 1826 Murex purpureus Montagu, 1803 Philbertia purpurea (Montagu, 1803) Raphitoma (Cyrtoides) rudis intermedia F. Nordsieck, 1968 (dubious syn.) Pleurotoma corbis Pot. & Michd., 1838 Pleurotoma cordieri Grat., 1832 Pleurotoma fallax Forbes, 1844 Pleurotoma purpurea Blainville, 1829 Pleurotoma purpureum MacAndrew, 1851 Pleurotoma (Clathurella) purpurea Watson, 1897 Pleurotoma (Defrancia) purpurea P. Fischer, 1878 Raphitoma elegans Blainville, 1829 Raphitoma fallax Forbes, 1844 Raphitoma lineolata fuscata F. Nordsieck, 1977 Raphitoma punctatus Brown, 1827 Raphitoma (Philbertia) purpurea Nordsieck, 1968 ***Raphitoma purpurea*** is a [species](/source/Species) of [sea snail](/source/Sea_snail), a marine [gastropod](/source/Gastropod) [mollusk](/source/Mollusk) in the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Raphitomidae](/source/Raphitomidae).[1] This species forms a complex with *[Raphitoma bourguignati](/source/Raphitoma_bourguignati)* (Locard, 1891), *[Raphitoma atropurpurea](/source/Raphitoma_atropurpurea)* (Locard & Caziot, 1899), and *[Raphitoma digiulioi](/source/Raphitoma_digiulioi)* Pusateri & Giannuzzi Savelli, 2017. ## Description The length of the shell varies between 9 mm and 24 mm, its diameter between 4.9 mm and 9.5 mm. (Original description) The species shows a very rugose, fusiform and robust shell. It has a of a dark purple colour with sometimes a few spots or blotches of white. It contains nine or ten [whorls](/source/Whorl_(mollusc)), rounded, and tapering to an extremely fine, sharp [apex](/source/Apex_(mollusc)). They contain nineteen or twenty ribs, running a little oblique to the right. They are crossed by numerous sharp, elevated ridges, which rise into angles upon the ribs, making the shell very rough, and giving it a cancellated appearance. The [aperture](/source/Aperture_(mollusc)) is narrow, oval and terminates into a strait [siphonal canal](/source/Siphonal_canal). The outer [lip](/source/Lip_(gastropod)) is thin. The margin is white, crenated by the striae. The [columella](/source/Columella_(gastropod)) striated transversely oblique to the end of the siphonal canal, and somewhat tuberculated. Inside it is purple, marked by the ribs.[2] The [whorls](/source/Whorl_(mollusc)) are usually well rounded, clathrate by narrow ribs and almost equally strong revolving ridges. The color of the shell is reddish or purplish brown, white-zoned below the middle of the [body whorl](/source/Body_whorl), the zone distinct within the [lip](/source/Lip_(gastropod)).[3] ## Distribution This species occurs in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Atlantic Ocean from Northern Europa, the Azores, the Canary Islands to Angola. Fossils were found in Upper [Pliocene](/source/Pliocene) strata in [Italy](/source/Italy). ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-WoRMS_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-WoRMS_1-1) [*Raphitoma purpurea* (Montagu, 1803)](http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=139379). Retrieved through: [World Register of Marine Species](/source/World_Register_of_Marine_Species) on 5 April 2010. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Montagu, G. (1803). *Testacea Britannica or Natural History of British Shells, Marine, Land, and Fresh-Water, Including the Most Minute: Systematically Arranged and Embellished with Figures.* J. White, London, Vol. 1, xxxvii + 291 pp;; Vol. 2, pp. 293–606, pl. 1-16](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/78694) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [G.W. Tryon (1884) Manual of Conchology, structural and systematic, with illustrations of the species, vol. VI; Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences](https://archive.org/details/manualconch06tryorich) This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [public domain](/source/Public_domain). - Nordsieck F. (1968). *Die europäischen Meeres-Gehäuseschnecken (Prosobranchia). Vom Eismeer bis Kapverden und Mittelmeer*. Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart VIII + 273 pp. - Nordsieck F. (1977). *The Turridae of the European seas*. Roma: La Conchiglia. 131 pp. - Høisæter T. (2016). *A taxonomic review of the Norwegian species of Raphitoma (Gastropoda: Conoidea: Raphitomidae).* Fauna Norvegica. 36: 9-32 - [Pusateri F., Giannuzzi Savelli R., Bartolini S. & Oliverio M. (2017). *A revision of the Mediterranean Raphitomidae (Neogastropoda, Conoidea) 4: The species of the group of Raphitoma purpurea (Montagu, 1803) with the description of a new species.* Bollettino Malacologico. 53(2): 161-183](https://www.academia.edu/35255304/A_revision_of_the_Mediterranean_Raphitomidae_Neogastropoda_Conoidea_4_The_species_of_the_group_of_Raphitoma_purpurea_Montagu_1803_with_the_description_of_a_new_species) - Hayward, P.J.; Ryland, J.S. (Ed.). (1990). *The marine fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe: 1. Introduction and protozoans to arthropods.* Clarendon Press: Oxford, UK. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-19-857356-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-19-857356-1). 627 pp - Rolán E., 2005. *Malacological Fauna From The Cape Verde Archipelago. Part 1, Polyplacophora and Gastropoda*. ## External links - [Forbes E. (1844). R*eport on the Mollusca and Radiata of the Aegean sea, and on their distribution, considered as bearing on geology.* Reports of the British Association for the Advancement of Science for 1843. 130-193](https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12920789) - [Bellardi L. (1877), I molluschi dei terreni terziarii del Piemonte e della Liguria /](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/45375#page/282/mode/1up) - [MNHN, Paris: specimen](https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/im/item/2009-24960?listIndex=101&listCount=132) - Tucker, J.K. (2004). ["Catalog of recent and fossil turrids (Mollusca: Gastropoda)"](http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2004f/z00682f.pdf) (PDF). *Zootaxa*. **682**: 1–1295. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.11646/zootaxa.682.1.1](https://doi.org/10.11646%2Fzootaxa.682.1.1). - [Gastropods.com: *Raphitoma purpurea purpurea*](http://www.gastropods.com/2/Shell_8302.shtml) - [Natural History Museum, Rotterdam: *Raphitoma purpurea*](http://www.nmr-pics.nl/Raphitomidae_new/album/slides/Raphitoma%20purpurea%20(3).html) Taxon identifiers Raphitoma purpurea Wikidata: Q3170339 BOLD: 988367 CoL: 4RKTX EUNIS: 59379 GBIF: 2305482 iNaturalist: 482501 IRMNG: 10718483 ITIS: 205148 NBN: NBNSYS0000177640 NCBI: 2570992 OBIS: 139379 SeaLifeBase: 840 WoRMS: 139379 Murex purpureus Wikidata: Q29406155 CoL: 44MDD GBIF: 5728133 IRMNG: 10815121 Observation.org: 876341 WoRMS: 154087 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Raphitoma purpurea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphitoma_purpurea) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphitoma_purpurea?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.