Mitra papalis, common name the Papal/Pontifical Mitre, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Mitridae, the miters.WoRMS
Distribution This marine species is present in India and in the western Indo-Pacific (China, Paracel Islands, Taiwan, Philippines, New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia and Guam).Sea Life Base
Habitat These sea snails live on coral reefs and under rocks, from the intertidal zone to a depth of about 30 m.LI Bao Quan, LI Xin Zheng - Report on genus Mitra with seven new record species from the chinese seas Rarely, specimens are known from tangle nets at around 600 ft. depth.
Description Shells of Mitra papalis can reach a length of about . The form of these large shells is similar to a Papal mitre (hence the common name). They are elongate to ovate, fusiform and smooth but without axial streaks on the surface. Sutural coronations are present. The aperture is moderately wide, smooth within. The shell surface is white, with small white nodules under sutures and with several rows of irregular bright red-orange or purplish blotches.
This species is quite similar to Mitra stictica, but its body form is longer, with more adpressed sutures and wider nodules.
References
Bibliography
Alan G. Hinton - Guide to Shells of Papua New Guinea Alan G. Hinton - Shells of New Guinea & Central Pacific Arianna Fulvo and Roberto Nistri (2005). 350 coquillages du monde entier. Delachaux et Niestlé (Paris) : 256 p. () Cernohorsky W.O. (1976). The Mitridae of the World. Part I. The subfamily Mitrinae. Indo-Pacific Mollusca. 3(17): 273-528 F. Springsteen and F. M. Leobrera - Shells of the Philippines