Penion cuvierianus

Penion cuvierianus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Caenogastropoda

clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Neogastropoda

Superfamily: Buccinoidea
Family: Buccinidae
Genus: Penion
Species: P. cuvierianus
Binomial name
Penion cuvierianus
(Powell, 1927)
Synonyms
  • Fusus dilatatus Quoy & Gaimard, 1833
  • Siphonalia dilatata Suter, 1913
  • Megalatractus maximus Suter, 1913
  • Verconella dilatata Iredale, 1914
  • Verconella dilatata rex Finlay, 1927
  • Verconella dilatata cuvieriana Iredale, 1914

Penion cuvierianus is a species of very large predatory sea snail or whelk, commonly called the flaring penion, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.

Description

Penion cuvierianus is a very large species of siphon whelk. [1][2] Shells vary between ivory and yellow in colouration.[2]

Distribution

Penion cuvierianus is endemic to New Zealand.[1][2] The taxonomic name is a reference to the type locality of Cuvier Island.[1] The species has an abundant fossil record in the North Island of New Zealand.[3]

The species occurs in the subtidal zone between depths of 20 and 200 metres.[2]

Subspecies

These subspecies have been recognised:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
  2. 1 2 3 4 Willan, R.C., de C. Cook, S., Spencer, H.G., Creese, R.G., O’Shea, S., Jackson, G.D. Phylum Mollusca. In: de C. Cook, S.C. (eds.), New Zealand Coastal Marine Invertebrates 1, 406 – 407. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch, New Zealand ISBN 978-1877257-60-5
  3. 1 2 Beu, A.G. and Maxwell, P.A. 1990. Cenozoic Mollusca of New Zealand. New Zealand Geological Survey Bulletin, 58.


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