Mathilda retusa Brugnone, 1873
Mediterranean. Predator on sessile Cnidarians in the upper circalittoral (50m deep, Lastovo island, S. Croatia, by N. Lete) to at least the upper shelf.
 
« Testa ovato-turrita, tumida. Anfractibus 5, subplanatis, carinis 3 transversis lineisque elevatis longitudinalibus obliquis granulato-clathratis. Apertura magna. Apice obtuso. — Carinae aequidistantes, interstitiis aequales, suprema vix angustior, extremae suturis proximae. Lineae verticales totam testam excurrunt, sed interstitiis carinarum et in suturis exiliores remanent, cum vero carinas supersiliunt valde granosae fiunt. Spatium planum baseos concentrice striatum. Color fuscus. » – G. A. Brugnone: Miscellanea malachologica pars. I, Palermo 1873, via BHL.

80m deep, on red coral bottom, Lastovo island, Dubrovnik-Neretva Comitat, S. Croatia. 7,95mm. Original pictures provided by R. Stanić (HR) – (CC BY-NC-SA).
An almost constant characteristic is given, on each whorl, by the adapical cord, whose granules are weaker than those of the two other cords. On the last whorl, the interspace between this row and the following one is markedly larger than the others.
 
Pale specimen: 180m deep, off Blitvenica Island, Šibenik archipelago, Šibensko-kninska Comitat, S. Croatia. Brown specimen: 80-100m deep, in coralligen, Mljet island, Dubrovnik-Neretva Comitat, S. Croatia. Sizes about 7mm. Original pictures provided by N. Lete (HR) – (CC BY-NC-SA).
80m deep, Siracusa, SE. Sicily. 7mm.
Original picture provided by A. Brancato (IT) – (CC BY-NC-SA).
Despite a wide variation of sculpture in the genus, the transition protoconch / teleoconch remains remarkably constant. 55m deep, Ognina, Catania, E. Sicily. 4,2mm.
36m deep, San Giovanni Li Cuti, Catania, E. Sicily. 4,7mm.
Thinner shell from the same spot. 3,75mm.

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