Cymbiola pulchra is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Volutidae, the volutes.
Subspecies Cymbiola pulchra coucomorum Bail & Limpus, 1998 Cymbiola pulchra excelsior Bail & Limpus, 1998 Cymbiola pulchra flindersi Bail & Limpus, 2015 Cymbiola pulchra mariachristina Pozzi, 2023 Cymbiola pulchra peristicta McMichael, 1963 Cymbiola pulchra pulchra (G. B. Sowerby I, 1825) Cymbiola pulchra wisemani (Brazier, 1870)
Description Adult shells generally range from about 41 to 110 mm in length.
The shell of Cymbiola pulchra is solid, smooth, and glossy, and it is highly variable in appearance. The rounded protoconch consists of three-and-a-half ribbed whorls. The shell has a moderately tall spire that gives the shell an elegant, elongated profile. The whorls are distinctly shouldered, being concave above and convex below the shoulder, and they often bear nodules or short, sharp spines along the angular shoulder. The aperture is long and wide. The lip is bevelled. The columella is slightly concave and shows four plaits. The siphonal canal is deep and narrow.
The coloration typically consists of a white, fawn, or salmon-colored base, frequently marked with three darker spiral bands. In addition, the surface usually displays a pattern of spots, dots, and tent-shaped markings, which can vary widely between subspecies. The columella, or inner shell lip, bears four strong folds, a characteristic feature of volutes. Seashells of New South Wales: description
Distribution This marine species is endemic to Australia and occurs off Queensland. Australian Faunal Directory: distribution
References
Bail, P. & Limpus, A. 1998. The "pulchra complex": revision of Cymbiola (Cymbiolacca) from East Australian Coast. Rome : Evolver 80 pp. Poppe, G.T. & Goto, Y. 1992. Volutes. Ancona : L'Informatore Piceno 348 pp., pl. 1-107.
External links Sowerby I, G. B. (1825). A catalogue of the shells contained in the collection of the late Earl of Tankerville: arranged according to the Lamarckian conchological system: together with an appendix, containing descriptions of many new species- London, vii + 92 + xxxiv pp.