Clavus (gastropod)


Clavus is a genus of small sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Drilliidae.

Description

Apart from the general characteristics of the genera in the family Drilliidae, the species in the genus Clavus have a shell with peripheral tubercles, spines or wing-like processes. The aperture is rather large. The outer lip is produced below the sinus.
The shell of Clavus is characterised by the following features:— Flat indefinite fasciole, indicated only by the curve of growth lines. A smooth subulate protoconch. An insinuation of the outer lip, near the base, like that of Strombus. A major sculpture of prominent arched scales on the shoulder, and a minor sculpture of dense, microscopic, waved, spiral striae.
Most species in this genus have a dorsal varix. But this is absent in a few species such as Clavus beckii, Clavus humilis and Clavus pica.
G.W. Tryon correctly preserved the genus for smooth specimens with a short body whorl, long spire, nodulous shoulder, no spiral sculpture, a wide, deep anal sulcus adjacent to the suture and, in the completely adult, a marked subsutural callus on the body.

Distribution

The species in this genus occur in the Red Sea, In the Indian Ocean off Mozambique; also off Indonesia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, Japan and Australia.

Species

According to the World Register of Marine Species the following species with valid names are included within the genus Clavus :
;Species brought into synonymy:
;Species inquirenda:
The Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database adds the following species with names in current use :
; Subgenus Clavus