Cymatium parthenopeum
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| Cymatium parthenopeum | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Cymatium parthenopeum (Salis, 1793) |
Cymatium parthenopeum is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Ranellidae, the tritons.
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[edit] Distribution
This species is very widespread globally, being found in the Mediterranean, the South Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea, the western Atlantic and the Oceania, including Australia and northern New Zealand.
[edit] Habitat
This triton lives from low tide level down to depths of 45 m in warm and tropical waters.
[edit] Shell description
The shell of this species is large and solid, with a massive labial varix that is rendered nodular by the broad overriding spiral cords. The inside of the outer lip is strongly denticulate, and the inner lip is horizontally plicate. The operculum is ovate with a terminal nucleus.
The coloration of the shell is pale orange-brown, with the interspaces of the nodular varices, the inner lip plicae, and the labial denticles, dark brown.
The shell height is up to 100 mm, and the width is up to 59 mm.
[edit] Description of the live animal
This triton has a brightly coloured mantle with bluish ocellate spots on a purplish-grey ground.
[edit] References
- Powell A W B, New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
