Ethalia is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Umboniinae of the family Trochidae, the top snails.
Description The species are moderate-sized. The orbicular shell is turbinately depressed. The whorls are convex, smooth or transversely striated, the last one rounded at the periphery. They have a mottled or streaked color-pattern. The umbilicus is partly closed by a callus deposit. The columellar lip ends anteriorly in an obtuse dilated callus. The callus emitted at the columellar-parietal angle of the aperture is tongue-shaped, closing the umbilicus except a rather narrow chink, or even entirely, in some species.Tryon (1889), Manual of Conchology XI, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
(More recent description) The shell is relatively large for the subfamily Umboniinae (up to 25 mm in diameter); It is lenticular, globose-lenticular, or subglobose; the surface is smooth and glossy, or dull with fine, closely spaced spiral lirae; the axial sculptureis weak or nearly obsolete. The umbilicus is usually present, commonly bordered by a thickened rim and variably obstructed by a callus deposition associated with the umbilical funicle and parietal lip. The outer lip is simple, with a smooth inner surface lacking denticles or lirae. The operculum is corneous, thick, multispiral but only loosely coiled; whorl overlap narrow, the peripheral fringe is scarcely developed, and spiral microsculpture is absent. The radula is with relatively robust base-plates on both the rachidian and lateral teeth; inner marginal tooth transitional, bearing a reduced terminal cusp. Outer marginal teeth with 3–10 principal cusps, dominated by a large, bluntly lanceolate central denticle that is flanked basally on its outer side by one or two smaller accessory denticles. The ctenidium is bipectinate, with the anterior portion remaining free.
Distribution This marine genus occurs in the Central and East Indian Ocean, off East Africa, off Indo-Malaysia, and off Australia.
Species Species within the genus Ethalia include: Ethalia anomphala D. G. Herbert, 2024 Ethalia azorensis (R. B. Watson, 1879) Ethalia bellardii (Issel, 1869) Ethalia bysma Herbert, 1992 Ethalia carneolata Melvill, 1897 Ethalia catharinae Poppe, Tagaro & Dekker, 2006 Ethalia electra Herbert, 1992 Ethalia gilchristae Herbert, 1992 Ethalia guamensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834) Ethalia lampra (R. B. Watson, 1880) Ethalia minolina Melvill, 1897 Ethalia montrouzieri (Souverbie, 1859) Ethalia nitida A. Adams, 1863 (uncertain > unassessed) Ethalia omphalotropis A. Adams, 1863 (uncertain > unassessed, use in recent literature not established by editor) Ethalia polita A. Adams, 1862(uncertain > unassessed, use in recent literature not established by editor) Ethalia rufula Gould, 1861 Ethalia sanguinea Pilsbry, 1905 Ethalia striolata (A. Adams, 1855) † Ethalia subpulchella MacNeil, 1961 Ethalia variegata (Preston, 1914)
Species brought into synonymy Ethalia (Ethaliella) Pilsbry, 1905: synonym of Ethaliella Pilsbry, 1905 Ethalia africana E. A. Smith, 1904: synonym of Teinostoma africanum (E. A. Smith, 1904) (original combination) Ethalia atomaria A. Adams, 1861: synonym of Teinostoma atomaria (A. Adams, 1861) (original combination) Ethalia brazieri Angas, 1877: synonym of Rotostoma brazieri (Angas, 1877) Ethalia candida A. Adams, 1862: synonym of Leucorhynchia candida (A. Adams, 1862) Ethalia capillata Gould, 1862: synonym of Ethaliella capillata (Gould, 1862) Ethalia carinata P. P. Carpenter, 1857: synonym of Solariorbis carinatus (P. P. Carpenter, 1857) Ethalia diotrephes Melvill, 1910 : synonym of Teinostoma diotrephes (Melvill, 1910) (original combination) Ethalia floccata G. B. Sowerby III, 1903: synonym of Ethaliella floccata (Sowerby, 1903) Ethalia jucunda Melvill, 1904: synonym of Teinostoma jucundum (Melvill, 1904) (superseded combination) Ethalia lirata E.A. Smith, 1871: synonym of Leucorhynchia lirata (E.A. Smith, 1871) Ethalia multistriata A. E. Verrill, 1884: synonym of Solariorbis multistriatus (A. E. Verrill, 1884) Ethalia pallidula P. P. Carpenter, 1857: synonym of Teinostoma pallidulum (P. P. Carpenter, 1857) Ethalia perspicua A. Adams, 1861: synonym of Teinostoma perspicuum (A. Adams, 1861) Ethalia philippii (A. Adams, 1855): synonym of Monilea philippii A. Adams, 1855 Ethalia plicata E. A. Smith, 1872: synonym of Leucorhynchia plicata (E. A. Smith, 1872) Ethalia pulchella (A. Adams, 1855): synonym of Ethaliella pulchella (A. Adams, 1855) Ethalia pusilla (H. Adams, 1869): synonym of Cancellaria pusilla H. Adams, 1869: synonym of Brocchinia canariensis Rolán & Hernández, 2009 (superseded combination) Ethalia pyricallosa P. P. Carpenter, 1857: synonym of Solariorbis pyricallosus (P. P. Carpenter, 1857) Ethalia rhodomphala E. A. Smith, 1903: synonym of Ethaliella rhodomphala (E. A. Smith, 1903) (original combination) Ethalia sobrina A. Adams, 1861: synonym of Lissotesta sobrina (A. Adams, 1861) Ethalia supravallata P. P. Carpenter, 1864: synonym of Teinostoma supravallatum (P. P. Carpenter, 1864) Ethalia tasmanica Tenison Woods, 1877: synonym of Modulus modulus (Linnaeus, 1758) (junior synonym)
References
Wilson, B., 1993. Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods. Odyssey Publishing, Kallaroo, WA Higo, S., Callomon, P. & Goto, Y. (1999) Catalogue and Bibliography of the Marine Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Japan. Elle Scientific Publications, Yao, Japan, 749 pp. Williams S.T., Karube S. & Ozawa T. (2008) Molecular systematics of Vetigastropoda: Trochidae, Turbinidae and Trochoidea redefined. Zoologica Scripta 37: 483–506.
External links
Fischer P. (1873-1879). [continuation of Kiener] Spécies général et iconographie des coquilles vivantes. Volume 10, Famille des Turbinacées. Genre Turbo (Turbo), pp. i-iv + 1-128 (1873), pls 1, 28, 44-49, 53-54, 57-120. Volume 11, Genres Troque (Trochus, including Calcar), pp. 1–96, pls 37-86 (1875); 97-144 (1876); 145-240 (1877); 241-336 (1878); 337-423, Xenophora pp. 424–450, Tectarius pp. 451–459, Risella pp. 460–463, Index 464-480 (1879) Adams H. & Adams A. (1853-1858). The genera of Recent Mollusca; arranged according to their organization. London, van Voorst.