Pyrunculus hoernesii
Habitat: it lives in the infralittoral and circalittoral zones on detrital bottoms.
Distribution: it is pointed out in many localities among which North African coasts (Algeria) and Central Tyrrhenian. More frequent in the Eastern Mediterranean, but still uncommon.
Notes: species quite conic in outline, apical part narrower enlarging constantly towards the base. From upper shoulder there start numerous little axial ribs close, dissolving confusedly in first part of spiral. Moreover there are present some spiral lines incised spaced out among them and more evident towards the base. In apical zone (see photo) there is a deep umbilicus with a radius made by about
40 little ribs. There are two typical spiral lines incised running right below apical shoulder. External lip, overhanging apical zone, runs parallel to spiral enlarging in the lower part. Mouth presents a straight columella with a slight plica. Umbilicus quite visible. Pyrunculus ovatus (Jeffreys, 1871) is recognizable due to its larger sizes, to its form conic but more ovoidal, to a larger number of striae on apical crown and to lack of two spiral lines incised.
Presence of gastric plaques and lack of radula should show the belongings of this species to the genus Pyrunculus (Tringali & Oliverio, 2001 and Tringali, 1993). As far as juvenile specimens are concerned, there are quite visible some sparse spiral incisions all over surface. Average measures of adult specimens reach 5 mm in height.