Turbo imperialis

Turbo imperialis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turbinidae, the turban snails.[1]

Turbo imperialis
Apertural view of a shell of Turbo imperialis with operculum in place
Five views of a shell of Turbo imperialis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Vetigastropoda
Order: Trochida
Superfamily: Trochoidea
Family: Turbinidae
Genus: Turbo
Species:
T. imperialis
Binomial name
Turbo imperialis
Gmelin, 1790
Synonyms[1]
  • Turbo mespilus Gmelin, 1791
  • Turbo (Dinassovica) imperialis Gmelin, 1791
  • Turbo (Lunatica) imperialis Gmelin, 1791
A shell of T. imperialis; sometimes incorrectly identified as T. marmoratus

T. imperialis is fished commercially for its pearly shell, and is often confused with T. marmoratus; both species are known as "the green snail". This species is also often confused with Turbo militaris.[2]

Description

The length of the shell varies between 50 mm and 120 mm. The large, solid shell has a globose-conic shape. It is ventricose and imperforate. Its color is green, irregularly mottled and spirally striped with chestnut, closely irregularly striate with the same color. The 6-7 convex whorls show well marked sutures, and numerous more or less conspicuous revolving furrows. The large body whorl is somewhat flattened above. The aperture is subcircular and pearly white within The outer lip is rather thin. The arched columella has a pearly callus, which reappears at the posterior angle. The green parietal wall is nearly devoid of callus. The base of the shell is slightly dilated and scarcely produced.[3]

Distribution

According to the Natural History Museum, this marine species occurs off East Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius and Reunion.

References
  1. Turbo imperialis Gmelin, 1790. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 30 September 2012.
  2. The Natural History Museum website accessed 9 April 2014
  3. G.W. Tryon (1888), Manual of Conchology X; Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia (described as Turbo imperialis Gmelin, 1791)
  • Dautzenberg, Ph. (1929). Contribution à l'étude de la faune de Madagascar: Mollusca marina testacea. Faune des colonies françaises, III(fasc. 4). Société d'Editions géographiques, maritimes et coloniales: Paris. 321–636, plates IV-VII pp.
  • Alf A. & Kreipl K. (2003). A Conchological Iconography: The Family Turbinidae, Subfamily Turbininae, Genus Turbo. Conchbooks, Hackenheim Germany.
  • "Turbo (Dinassovica) imperialis". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.