Phalium glaucum
Phalium glaucum | |
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Five views of a shell of Phalium glaucum (Linné, 1758) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
(unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Littorinimorpha |
Superfamily: | Tonnoidea |
Family: | Cassidae |
Genus: | Phalium |
Species: | P. glaucum |
Binomial name | |
Phalium glaucum (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
Synonyms[1] | |
Cassis glauca (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Phalium glaucum, common name the grey bonnet or glaucus bonnet, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cassidae, the helmet snails and bonnet snails.[1]
Distribution
This species is widespread in the Indo-Pacific, from Eastern Africa (Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania) to Southern Japan and Melanesia. [2]
Habitat
This species lives on sandy bottoms with seagrass meadows, in intertidal and shallow subtidal areas to a depth of about 10 m. [3]
Description
Shell of Phalium glaucum can reach a length of 60–147 millimetres (2.4–5.8 in).[2]
These shells are helmet shaped with a large body whorl and tiny spires. The surface of shell is smooth and uniformly greyish or pale brown. The molluscs have a white body and a large yellowish or whitish foot which is edged in reddish brown. The operculum is bright yellow and fan-shaped. Usually this sea snail buries itself in the sandy areas with the long siphon sticking out. [3]
Bibliography
- Arianna Fulvo and Roberto Nistri (2005). 350 coquillages du monde entier. Delachaux et Niestlé (Paris) : 256 p. (ISBN 2-603-01374-2)
- Tan S.K., Ng H.E. & Nguang L.H.S. (2013) A new species of Phalium Link, 1807 (Gastropoda: Tonnoidea: Cassidae) from the Sunda Shelf. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 61(2): 507-514
References
- 1 2 Phalium glaucum (Linnaeus, 1758). WoRMS (2009). Phalium glaucum (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=217006 on 14 August 2010.
- 1 2 Gastropods
- 1 2 Wild Singapore