Melongena corona

Melongena corona
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Caenogastropoda; clade Hypsogastropoda; clade Neogastropoda
Superfamily:	Buccinoidea
Family:	Melongenidae
Subfamily:	Melongeninae
Genus:	Melongena
Species:	M. corona
Binomial name
	Melongena corona; (Gmelin, 1791)
Synonyms
	Melongena pyruloides (DeKay, 1843); Melongena corona altispira Pilsbry & Vanatta, 1934; Melongena corona aspinosa (Dall, 1890); Melongena corona bicolor (Say, 1826); Melongena corona corona (Gmelin, 1791); Melongena corona johnstonei (Clench & Turner, 1956); Melongena corona sprucecreekensis Tucker, 1994;

Melongena corona, common name the Florida crown conch, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Melongenidae, the crown conches and their allies.

Description

The shell of this species is extremely variable in terms of the degree of spiny ornamentation. Some shells are much smoother than others. These snails can be as large as about 5 in (12 cm) long, and are mostly dark brown with irregular bands of white or cream. There are small spines on the largest whorl of the smoother forms,; the most spiny forms have several rows of spines. The aperture of the shell can be closed at will with an operculum. This snail is a predator; it eats other mollusks, including scallops.^[2]

A live Melongena corona rolling over by using its operculum
Melongena corona laying eggs.
The shell of Melongena corona inhabited by a hermit crab

References

^ Masterson, J. (2008). "Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce". Retrieved 12 January 2010.
^ Crowned Conch: Dark Invader Retrieved 2011-11-29.

[SMSFP-1] Masterson, J. (2008). "Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce". Retrieved 12 January 2010.

[2] Crowned Conch: Dark Invader Retrieved 2011-11-29.

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