Penion cuvieranus cuvieranus

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Penion cuvieranus cuvieranus
Penion cuvieranus cuvieranus from the Kapiti Coast, north of Wellington, New Zealand
Penion cuvieranus cuvieranus from the Kapiti Coast, north of Wellington, New Zealand
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Sorbeoconcha
Suborder: Hypsogastropoda
Infraorder: Neogastropoda
Family: Buccinidae
Genus: Penion
Species: Penion cuvieranus
Subspecies: P. cuvieranus cuvieranus
Trinomial name
Penion cuvieranus cuvieranus
(Powell, 1927)

Penion cuvieranus cuvieranus is a subspecies of very large predatory sea snail or true whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.

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[edit] Distribution

This subspecies is endemic to New Zealand. It is found from Northland to Cook Strait.

[edit] Habitat

This whelk lives at depths of between 37 and 180 m.

[edit] Shell description

Shallow-water shells tend to be more solid with a relatively short siphonal canal, but deeper-water ones are much thinner and have a long flexed anterior canal. The surface is spirally sculptured with an alternation of weak cords and fine threads.

The external shell coloration is buff, sometimes with pale brownish diffused axial streaks. The aperture and parietal callus are white.

The shell height is up to 235 mm, and width up to 113 mm.

[edit] References