Cassis flammea
| Cassis flammea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Five views of a shell of Cassis flammea | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Littorinimorpha |
| Superfamily: | Tonnoidea |
| Family: | Cassidae |
| Subfamily: | Cassinae |
| Genus: | Cassis |
| Species: | C. flammea |
| Binomial name | |
| Cassis flammea (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
Cassis flammea is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cassidae, the helmet snails and bonnet snails.[1]
Distribution
Cassis flammea is found in Florida, the Caribbean, and Bahamas. Its abundance has decreased due to overcollecting in some areas.[2]
Description
It has a shell with shades of reddish-brown with wavy stripes. There are dark stripes on the outer lip of the shell. The lip around the aperture forms a triangle shape. The shell may reach a maximum of 7 inches in length.[2] The shell may be covered by algae or other sessile marine organisms.
The maximum recorded shell length is 154 mm.[3]
Habitat
Cassis flammea inhabits shallow tropical waters, in the depth range of 10 to 35 ft, usually in the sand around reefs.
Minimum recorded depth is 1 m.[3] Maximum recorded depth is 12 m.[3]
Feeding habits
These sea snails feed on sea urchins, which they typically hunt at night.[2]
References
- ↑ Cassis flammea (Linnaeus, 1758). WoRMS (2010). Cassis flammea (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=419777 on 14 August 2010.
- 1 2 3 Humann P. (1992). Reef creature Identification, Edited by Ned Deloach. New World Publications, Inc., p. 206-207.
- 1 2 3 Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.