Melongena patula

Melongena patula, common name Pacific crown conch, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Melongenidae.

Melongena patula
Shell of Melongena patula from Nicaragua at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Neogastropoda
Family: Melongenidae
Genus: Melongena
Species:
M. patula
Binomial name
Melongena patula
(Philippi, 1844)

Description

Melongena patula has a shell that reaches a length of 75 – 250 mm. The surface of this shell shows a deep chestnut brown color lined with a few white or yellow spiral bands. The interior is white. The shell is quite slender, sometimes spiny on the shoulders, with a wide aperture.

Distribution

This species can be found from the Gulf of California (Mexico) to Peru.[1]

Habitat

These sea snails live in shallow water, usually in sandy or muddy areas, especially under mangrove trees.

References

  1. A. Myra Keen (1971). Sea Shells of Tropical West America (2nd ed.). Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-0736-7.


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