Drilliola loprestiana (Calcara, 1841)
Georgia to S. Brasil, Cantabrian Sea to Canarias, Azores, Madeira, Gorringe and Josephine to Mediterranean. Low infralittoral to continental shelf, slope and foot. The species lives mainly in deep sea when adult, and swims in shallower waters when larva. Predator on mobile preys. Original taxon: Pleurotoma loprestiana. Synonyms: tiara, tricincta
 
Apex acute, granular, subcostulated, brownish. Teleoconch white, with three spiral crests per whorl, circa nine on the last one; the interspaces between the crests are adorned with numerous growth striae. « Dedico questa novella e distinta specie di Pleurotoma al mio cordialissimo amico sig. Giacomo Lo Presti, egregio e prestantissimo cultore delle arti belle. » – P. Calcara: “Monografie dei generi Spirorbis e Succinea seguita da alcune nuove specie di conchiglie siciliane”, Giornale di scienze lettere et arti per la Sicilia num. 226, Palermo, october 1841.

Young.
200m deep, Dubrovnik, S. Croatia. 4,1mm.
Original pictures provided by R. Stanić (HR).
(CC BY-NC-SA)
Young. 80m deep, Hvar channel, Split-Dalmatia Comitat, S. Croatia. 4,6mm.
Subadult.
400m deep, Isola Capraia, Livorno, Toscana, W. Italy. 5,9mm.
The protoconch is very different from that of emendata.
Original pictures provided by A. Nappo (IT).
(CC BY-NC-SA)
Adult.
130m deep, off Fomm ir-Riħ, Mġarr, western coast of Malta. 9mm. Original pictures provided by A. Nappo (IT).
(CC BY-NC-SA)

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