Alaba is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Litiopidae.
Description (Original description) The elongated shell is turreted. It is smooth and semi-translucent, with whorls that occasionally feature a few irregular varices. They often have fine axial ribs or striations. The outer lip is thin and simple, while the ovate aperture is slightly emarginate at the anterior end.
Distribution Alaba is a cosmopolitan genus, but mostly distributed in shallow tropical and subtropical seas in coral reefs, rocky substrates, and seagrass beds.
Species Species within the genus Alaba include:
Alaba bowenensis (Laseron, 1956) Alaba cornea (A. Adams, 1861) Alaba culliereti (Dautzenberg, 1891) Alaba diffilata (Laseron, 1956) Alaba difformis (Laseron, 1956) Alaba felina A. Adams, 1862 Alaba fragilis (Thiele, 1930) Alaba guayaquilensis Bartsch, 1928 Alaba hartmeyeri (Thiele, 1930) Alaba hungerfordi G. B. Sowerby III, 1894 Alaba imbricata A. Adams, 1862 Alaba incerta (d'Orbigny, 1841) Alaba inflata A. Adams, 1862 Alaba interrupelineata Pilsbry & Lowe, 1932 Alaba jeanettae Bartsch, 1910 Alaba leucosticta (A. Adams, 1861) Alaba lixa (Iredale, 1936) Alaba lucida A. Adams, 1862 Alaba monile A. Adams, 1862 Alaba picta (A. Adams, 1861) Alaba pinnae (Krauss, 1848) Alaba polyaulax (Tomlin, 1923) Alaba pulchra A. Adams, 1862 Alaba punctostriata A. Gould, 1861 Alaba semipellucida (Preston, 1905) Alaba subangulata A. Adams, 1862 Alaba supralirata Carpenter, 1857 Alaba vibex A. Adams, 1862 Alaba zadela Melvill & Standen, 1896 Alaba zebrina A. Adams, 1862
Species brought into synonymy Alaba adamsi Dall, 1889: synonym of Finella adamsi (Dall, 1889) (superseded combination) Alaba albugo Watson, 1886 synonym of Diala albugo (Watson, 1886) Alaba catalinensis Bartsch, 1920: synonym of Pseudosabinella bakeri (Bartsch, 1917) Alaba cerithidioides Dall, 1889: synonym of Finella dubia (A. d'Orbigny, 1840) (junior subjective synonym) Alaba coma Cotton, 1953: synonym of Alaba pulchra A. Adams, 1862 Alaba conoidea Dall, 1889: synonym of Caelatura rustica (R. B. Watson, 1886) Alaba fulva Watson, 1886: synonym of Finella rufocincta (A. Adams, 1861) Alaba goniochila (A. Adams, 1860): synonym of Styliferina goniochila A. Adams, 1860 Alaba incolorata Thiele, 1912: synonym of Bulimeulima incolorata (Thiele, 1912) Alaba interrupelineata [sic]: synonym of Alaba interruptelineata Pilsbry & H. N. Lowe, 1932 (misspelling) Alaba leithii E.A. Smith, 1876: synonym of Mainwaringia leithii (E.A. Smith, 1876) Alaba magna (Gatliff & Gabriel, 1910): synonym of Cingulina magna Gatliff & Gabriel, 1910 Alaba martensi Issel, 1869: synonym of Diala sulcifera martensi (Issel, 1869) (superseded combination) Alaba mirabilis (Hornung & Mermod, 1926): synonym of Gibborissoia virgata (R. A. Philippi, 1849) Alaba mutans P. P. Carpenter, 1857: synonym of Lapsigyrus mutans (P. P. Carpenter, 1857) (original combination) Alaba oldroydi Dall, 1905: synonym of Lirobarleeia kelseyi (Dall & Bartsch, 1902) Alaba opiniosa (Iredale, 1936): synonym of Diffalaba opiniosa Iredale, 1936 Alaba pagodula A. Adams, 1862: synonym of Alaba monile A. Adams, 1862 Alaba phasianella Angas, 1867: synonym of Alaba monile A. Adams, 1862 Alaba semistriata (Philippi, 1849): synonym of Diala semistriata (Philippi, 1849) Alaba serrana Smith & Gordon, 1948: synonym of Pseudosabinella bakeri (Bartsch, 1917) Alaba striata Watson, 1886: synonym of Finella pupoides Adams A., 1860 Alaba sulcata Watson, 1886: synonym of Doxander campbelli (Griffith & Pidgeon, 1834) Alaba vladivostokensis Bartsch, 1929: synonym of Diffalaba picta (A. Adams, 1861): synonym of Alaba picta (A. Adams, 1861) Alaba terebralis Carpenter, 1857: synonym of Microeulima terebralis (Carpenter, 1857) Alaba translucida (Hedley, 1905): synonym of Styliferina translucida (Hedley, 1905) Alaba violacea Carpenter, 1857: synonym of Microeulima terebralis (Carpenter, 1857)
Taxa inquirenda Alaba blanfordi A. Adams, 1862 Alaba copiosa (Preston, 1915) (unassessed, use in recent literature not established by editor) Alaba senegalensis Maltzan, 1885 Alaba warnefordiana Preston, 1908
References
Vaught, K.C. (1989). A classification of the living Mollusca. American Malacologists: Melbourne, FL (USA). . XII, 195 pp. Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 180–213
External links