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Cassis flammea

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Cassis flammea
Five views of a shell of Cassis flammea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Cassidae
Genus: Cassis
Species:
C. flammea
Binomial name
Cassis flammea

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

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Cassis flammea is found in Florida, the Caribbean, and Bahamas. Its abundance has decreased due to overcollection in some areas.[2]

Description

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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]

Cassis flammea feeding on algal mat in sand, Bamboo Point, San Salvador Island, Bahamas

Habitat

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Cassis flammea inhabits shallow tropical waters, in the depth range of 10 to 35 ft, usually in the sand around reefs.[citation needed]

The minimum recorded depth for this species is 1 m; maximum recorded depth is 12 m.[3]

Feeding habits

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These sea snails feed on sea urchins, which they typically hunt at night.[2]

References

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  1. ^ 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 .
  2. ^ a b c Humann P. (1992). Reef creature Identification, Edited by Ned Deloach. New World Publications, Inc., pp. 206–207.
  3. ^ a b 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.