About Adelomelon ancilla (Lightfoot), 1786
Adelomelon ancilla (Lightfoot), 1786 was originally described in Latin under the name Voluta bracata. The shell of this species ranges in length from 190 mm to 197 mm, with a diameter between 64 mm and 67 mm. The shell has an oblong-fusiform shape, is somewhat ventricose, and is moderately thick. Its base color is yellowish-brown, and it may sometimes be marked with reddish flame-shaped patterns. The spire is conically elongated, ending in a papillary apex. The shell contains seven somewhat convex whorls, separated by a suture that is roughly submarginally toothed. The body whorl is the largest, making up more than two-thirds of the shell’s total height. It is ovate-ventricose, slopes strongly and longitudinally toward the aperture, and is slightly narrowed at the base. The aperture is elongated-oblong, acute at the top, and widely notched at the base. The peristome is subcontinuous. The outer lip is slightly incurved, acute, slightly thickened, and flared. The columellar lip is somewhat straight and rounded, covered by a moderately thick plate that originates at the insertion of the right margin and extends all the way to the base of the shell. The columella has three or four folds. This is a marine species found in waters off Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, and the Falkland Islands.
