Zafra obesula is a species of sea snail in the family Columbellidae, the dove snails.MolluscaBase eds. (2023). MolluscaBase. Zafra obesula (Hervier, 1900). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=511623 on 2023-10-06
Taxonomy Treated as a synonym of Zafra troglodytes (Souverbie, 1866) by Sleurs (1987)
Description The length of the shell attains 6 mm, its diameter 2.5 mm.
(original description in Latin) The shell is small, stoutly ovate, subglobose, shortly pointed at both ends, somewhat solid, brilliantly smooth, amber-colored, and bordered by two white bands. It consists of seven to eight whorls; the three embryonic whorls are rounded, smooth, shiny, and rapidly increasing in size. The subsequent whorls are convex, sloping, separated by a wavy suture, and longitudinally folded, featuring thick, obtuse, and undulating ribs that are joined at the base. The body whorl exceeds half of the total length of the shell; it is strongly inflated, nearly round, shortly depressed at the base where it is densely ridged, and terminates in a short, slightly recurved canal. The aperture is very narrow and winding. The columella is concave at the upper part, relatively straight and pleated in the middle, and oblique below. The outer lip is simple, somewhat thick at the top, oblique, flattened and scarcely convex; it is sharp at the margin, distinctly sinuated below the suture, and thickened within the throat, where it is armed with moderately strong folds. Hervier J. (1900 ("1899") ). Le genre Columbella dans l'archipel de la Nouvelle-Calédonie. Journal de Conchyliologie. 47(4): 305–391, pls 13-14.
Distribution This marine species occurs off Lifou Island, Loyalty Islands and the Philippines; also off Papua New Guinea and North Queensland, Australia.
References
Hedley, C. 1923. Studies on Australian Mollusca. Part XIV. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 48: 301–316, pls 30-33 Sleurs W. (1987). The marine microgastropods from the Northern coast of Papua New Guinea (Mollusca: Gastropoda) III. Family Columbellidae (Subfamily Pyreninae), with description of two new species. Indo-Malayan Zoology. 4: 33–68, pl. A, B.
External links
Drivas, J. & Jay, M. (1997). Report on a collection of Columbellidae (Mollusca, Gastopoda) from the west Indian Ocean region (Madagascar, Glorieuses Islands, Comores Islands, and nearby banks and coral shawls) with descriptions of three new species and one new genus. Apex. 12 (1): 31-42