Coralliophila brevis (Blainville, 1832)

Madeira to Mediterranean, Josephine and Ampère seamounts, Cantabrian sea to Canarias. Predator on sessile preys (Gorgonacea, red coral) from the mid-infralittoral down to the circalittoral and shallow shelf. Often in coralligen. Original taxon: Purpura brevis. Synonyms: alboranensis, patula, squamulata… 20-30m deep, off Málaga, Andalucia, S. Spain. 14mm.

An “alboranensis” Smriglio & Mariottini, 2003. 120m deep, on detritic bottom with Corallium rubrum, off N. Morocco, Gibraltar Strait. 10mm.

Purpura brevis in H. M. D. de Blainville: “ Disposition méthodique des espèces récentes et fossiles des genres Pourpre, Ricinule, Licorne et Concholepas de M. de Lamarck…”, Nouvelles Annales du Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle vol. I, Paris 1832, plate XI.   « Shell small, short, swollen, pyriform, rough, with a very low spire, pointed, formed of three to four distinct subcarenate whorls traversed by decurrent, scaly striations, with a rank of rather large thorns on the ledge, prolonging a little in costulae; aperture large, dilated at the right edge, with a subumbilicate, flattened and pointed columella; uniform color of a greenish gray outside as inside. »

Trawled at 25m deep, Estepona, Málaga. 14mm.

The variability of the species is illustrated on WoRMS: Left: the form “alboranensis”; right: an elongated one. Specimens from Ampère seamount (225-280m): 14,7-15,2mm. Original pictures provided by S. Gofas – (CC BY-NC-SA).

13m deep, Punta de la Mona, La Herradura, Granada, Andalucia, S. Spain. 24,8mm. Original pictures provided by A. Nappo (IT). – (CC BY-NC-SA) –

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