| Helmet vase | |
|---|---|
| A shell of the helmet vase, Vasum cassiforme. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Muricoidea |
| Family: | Turbinellidae |
| Genus: | Vasum |
| Species: | V. cassiforme |
| Binomial name | |
| Vasum cassiforme (Kiener, 1841) |
|
| Synonyms | |
Vasum cassiforme, common name the helmet vase, is a species of medium to large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turbinellidae.
Contents |
Vasum cassiforme lives in the southeastern and northeastern littoral of Brazil[2], including Abrolhos and the brazilian states of Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia and Espírito Santo.[1]
The maximum reported size of this species shell is 114.9 mm.[3]
Vasum cassiforme has a large, thick and heavy shell, presenting 8 whorls.[1] One of its most striking characteristics is its rich ornamentation, with foliated cords and spines over the body whorl and shoulder, respectively. It is colored cream[1] or light brown externally, while the aperture may be colored purplish-brown[1].
This sea snail lives on sand and muddy bottoms, to a depth of 70 m.[2]