| 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, common name the Florida crown conch, is an edible species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Melongenidae, the crown conches and their allies.
There are two forms of Melongena corona one much smoother than the other. They grow to 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 smooth form, but the other form has much bigger protuberances not only round several whorls but also some sharp spines near the aperture. This can be shut by an opercular flap. This snail is a predator and eats other molluscs such as scallops.[2]