Alaba (gastropod)

Alaba is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Litiopidae.

Description
(Original description) The elongated shell is turreted. It is smooth and semi-translucent, with whorls that occasionally feature a few irregular varices. They often have fine axial ribs or striations. The outer lip is thin and simple, while the ovate aperture is slightly emarginate at the anterior end.

Distribution
Alaba is a cosmopolitan genus, but mostly distributed in shallow tropical and subtropical seas in coral reefs, rocky substrates, and seagrass beds.

Species
Species within the genus Alaba include:
 * Alaba bowenensis (Laseron, 1956)
 * Alaba cornea (A. Adams, 1861)
 * Alaba culliereti (Dautzenberg, 1891)
 * Alaba diffilata (Laseron, 1956)
 * Alaba difformis (Laseron, 1956)
 * Alaba felina A. Adams, 1862
 * Alaba fragilis (Thiele, 1930)
 * Alaba guayaquilensis Bartsch, 1928
 * Alaba hartmeyeri (Thiele, 1930)
 * Alaba hungerfordi G. B. Sowerby III, 1894
 * Alaba imbricata A. Adams, 1862
 * Alaba incerta (d'Orbigny, 1841)
 * Alaba inflata A. Adams, 1862
 * Alaba interrupelineata Pilsbry & Lowe, 1932
 * Alaba jeanettae Bartsch, 1910
 * Alaba leucosticta (A. Adams, 1861)
 * Alaba lixa (Iredale, 1936)
 * Alaba lucida A. Adams, 1862
 * Alaba monile A. Adams, 1862
 * Alaba picta (A. Adams, 1861)
 * Alaba pinnae (Krauss, 1848)
 * Alaba polyaulax (Tomlin, 1923)
 * Alaba pulchra A. Adams, 1862
 * Alaba punctostriata A. Gould, 1861
 * Alaba semipellucida (Preston, 1905)
 * Alaba subangulata A. Adams, 1862
 * Alaba supralirata Carpenter, 1857
 * Alaba vibex A. Adams, 1862
 * Alaba zadela Melvill & Standen, 1896
 * Alaba zebrina A. Adams, 1862


 * Species brought into synonymy :
 * Alaba adamsi Dall, 1889 : synonym of Finella adamsi (Dall, 1889) (superseded combination)
 * Alaba albugo Watson, 1886 synonym of Diala albugo (Watson, 1886)
 * Alaba catalinensis Bartsch, 1920 : synonym of Pseudosabinella bakeri (Bartsch, 1917)
 * Alaba cerithidioides Dall, 1889 : synonym of Finella dubia (A. d'Orbigny, 1840) (junior subjective synonym)
 * Alaba coma Cotton, 1953 : synonym of Alaba pulchra A. Adams, 1862
 * Alaba conoidea Dall, 1889 : synonym of Caelatura rustica (R. B. Watson, 1886)
 * Alaba fulva Watson, 1886 : synonym of Finella rufocincta (A. Adams, 1861)
 * Alaba goniochila (A. Adams, 1860) : synonym of Styliferina goniochila A. Adams, 1860
 * Alaba incolorata Thiele, 1912 : synonym of Bulimeulima incolorata (Thiele, 1912)
 * Alaba interrupelineata [sic]: synonym of Alaba interruptelineata Pilsbry & H. N. Lowe, 1932 (misspelling)
 * Alaba leithii E.A. Smith, 1876 : synonym of Mainwaringia leithii (E.A. Smith, 1876)
 * Alaba magna (Gatliff & Gabriel, 1910) : synonym of Cingulina magna Gatliff & Gabriel, 1910
 * Alaba martensi Issel, 1869 : synonym of Diala sulcifera martensi (Issel, 1869) (superseded combination)
 * Alaba mirabilis (Hornung & Mermod, 1926) : synonym of Gibborissoia virgata (R. A. Philippi, 1849)
 * Alaba mutans P. P. Carpenter, 1857 : synonym of Lapsigyrus mutans (P. P. Carpenter, 1857) (original combination)
 * Alaba oldroydi Dall, 1905 : synonym of Lirobarleeia kelseyi (Dall & Bartsch, 1902)
 * Alaba opiniosa (Iredale, 1936) : synonym of Diffalaba opiniosa Iredale, 1936
 * Alaba pagodula A. Adams, 1862 : synonym of Alaba monile A. Adams, 1862
 * Alaba phasianella Angas, 1867 : synonym of Alaba monile A. Adams, 1862
 * Alaba semistriata (Philippi, 1849) : synonym of Diala semistriata (Philippi, 1849)
 * Alaba serrana Smith & Gordon, 1948 : synonym of Pseudosabinella bakeri (Bartsch, 1917)
 * Alaba striata Watson, 1886 : synonym of Finella pupoides Adams A., 1860
 * Alaba sulcata Watson, 1886: synonym of Doxander campbelli (Griffith & Pidgeon, 1834)
 * Alaba vladivostokensis Bartsch, 1929 : synonym of Diffalaba picta (A. Adams, 1861) : synonym of Alaba picta (A. Adams, 1861)
 * Alaba terebralis Carpenter, 1857 : synonym of Microeulima terebralis (Carpenter, 1857)
 * Alaba translucida (Hedley, 1905) : synonym of Styliferina translucida (Hedley, 1905)
 * Alaba violacea Carpenter, 1857 : synonym of Microeulima terebralis (Carpenter, 1857)


 * Taxa inquirenda:
 * Alaba blanfordi A. Adams, 1862
 * Alaba copiosa (Preston, 1915) (unassessed, use in recent literature not established by editor)
 * Alaba senegalensis Maltzan, 1885
 * Alaba warnefordiana Preston, 1908