Bela nebula (Montagu, 1803)
Azores, Norway to far western Mediterranean. Subtidal to circalittoral, on sand and muddy gravels. Predator.
Original taxon: Murex nebula.
Synomyms: affine, nigra, setaba, septenvillei.
 
« Murex with eight taper, costated spires, terminating in a sharp pointed apex, slightly, but elegantly reticulated, as if covered with fine gauze. The volutions are scarcely elevated between the ribs, and only separated by a fine thread-like line. Aperture narrow, oblong-oval, ending in a canal turning a little to one side ; outer lip sharp ; inner lip replicate, smooth, glossy. Colour various, sometimes yellowish-white, others pale purplish-brown, or rufous ; but the most beautiful variety is of a blush-colour, with the decudaled striae white. » – G Montagu: Testacea brittanica part I, London 1803, via BHL.

50-80m deep, off Almería, Andalucia, S. Spain. 8mm.
The animal is translucent with white dots.
La Ville Neuve, north of Saint-Suliac, eastern shore of the Bassin de la Rance, NE. Brittany, NW. France.
Original picture provided by P. Corbrion for iNaturalist.
– (CC BY-NC-SA) –
Above: a dark specimen from SE. Aegean. 8m deep, Bodrum, Muğla Province, SW. Turkey. 7,5mm.
Protoconch (top): slightly granulose.
Teleoconch: also with microgranules (bottom).
 
The shells of fuscata and nebula differ from that of spalatina by this microsculpture, made up of spirals that are uneven in strength and in distribution, while they are thinner, of the same strength and evenly disposed in spalatina.

— back to Mangeliidae —