| Turbo smaragdus | |
|---|---|
| A large old shell of Turbo smaragdus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Vetigastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Trochoidea |
| Family: | Turbinidae |
| Subfamily: | Turbininae |
| Genus: | Turbo |
| Species: | T. smaragdus |
| Binomial name | |
| Turbo smaragdus Gmelin, 1791 |
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Turbo smaragdus, common name cat's eye, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Turbinidae, the turban snails. [1]
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The common name "cat's eye" for this species is a reference to the attractively colored operculum of this species, which looks somewhat like an eye, and which is sometimes used for decorative purposes.
This species is endemic to New Zealand.[2][3] It is found around the North, South, and Stewart islands, on rocks between low and mid tide.