Raphitoma laviae (Philippi, 1844)
Western and central Mediterranean to Aegean.
Predator in the infralittoral.
Original taxon: Pleurotoma laviae.
« Dixi in memoriam cl. abbatis B. la Via. » (Philippi).
 
Protoconch multispiral; teleoconch of circa 5 moderately convex whorls adorned with circa 20 axial ribs, orthocline to weakly opisthocline, crossed by slightly thinner spirals; the intersections of radial ribs and spiral cords give rise to some rounded rectangular tubercles, the subsutural row bearing the weakest, « thus forming no shoulder » (Manousis & al., 2018); aperture with a deep and narrow anal notch adapically, and a wide and short siphonal canal. The colour varies from pale orange to a dark brown, with occasional whitish tubercles, sometimes lined up, sometimes isolated. Close to R. corbis but usually darker coloured, smaller, with a less scalar shape and shorter tubercles (Pusateri & al., 2018). Differs from R. atropurpurea by its deeper notch on top of the labrum.

25m deep, Punta de la Mona, east of La Herradura, Granada, Andalucia, S. Spain. 12mm.
First whorl of protoconch smooth and paler than the following. Subadult from 26m deep, Punta de la Mona. 6,75mm.

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