naticid gastropod Amauropsis rossiana

Amauropsis rossiana is found throughout Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands from 9 to 1,335 meters depth [1,4].



Amauropsis rossiana has a globose brownish-olive shell about three centimeters in size, with convex whorls, deep sutures, fine growth lines, and a raised, eroded spire [3].



Here's the aperture of the shell of Amauropsis rossiana with its shielding operculum pulled in.



Amauropsis rossiana is common at Cape Armitage in the second benthic zone between 15 - 33 meters depth [2].

1: Antarctic Mollusca : with Special Reference to the Fauna of the Ross Sea. RK Dell. Wellington, NZ : Royal Society of New Zealand, 1990. Bulletin 27, Royal Society of New Zealand; 2: Peter Brueggeman, personal communication, 1999; 3: Mollusca. II. Gastropoda. EA Smith IN: Natural History : Volume II. Zoology (Vertebrata: Mollusca: Crustacea). British National Antarctic Expedition 1901-1904. J Bell, ed. London : British Museum, 1907. p.5; 4: Polar Biology 24(2):105-112, 2001

Text ©Peter Brueggeman. Photographs ©Norbert Wu & Peter Brueggeman. Photographs may not be used in any form without the express written permission of Norbert Wu & Peter Brueggeman. Norbert Wu no longer grants permission for uncompensated use of his photos under any circumstances whatsoever; want more info?