Alvania lactea (Michaud, 1830)
English Channel to Morocco, Mediterranean & Black Sea. From the low tide line, under stones in sandy grounds (Audibert & Delemarre, 2010), to the circalittoral.
Grazer and detritus feeder.
Original taxon: Rissoa lactea.
Washed ashore, Brindisi, Puglia, S. Italy. 4mm.
Synonym: dajerleini Monterosato.
Port-Vendres, Eastern Pyrenees, S. France. 3,6-4,6mm.
« Shell white, slightly bluish, covered by a very fine sculpture made of small longitudinal costae crossed by transversal striae; on thze top of each whorl of the spine, the suture seems overlapped by a minute projecting angle; there resides this little sinus open in the superior part of the aperture, which is ovoid; lateral margin sharp; columella callous. » – A. L. G. Michaud: Description de plusieurs nouvelles espèces de coquilles du genre Rissoa, Strasbourg 1832, pages 9-10.

3-6m deep, in offshore gardens made up of small Posidonia patches in rough sand pockets on granitic substract, SW. end of Ghjunchitu Bay, Isola Rossa, NW. Corsica. 4mm.
A young specimen from Leucate, Occitania, S. France. 1,4mm.
Original pictures provided by S. Clanzig (FR).
(CC BY-NC-SA)
Adult from 10cm deep, Duće, Omiš, Dugi-Rat, Split-Dalmatia Comitat, S. Croatia. 4mm. Original picture provided by R. Stanić (HR) – (CC BY-NC-SA).

— back to Rissoidae —