Cassis madagascariensis

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Cassis madagascariensis
Cassis madagascariensis from Margarita Island.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:
Tonnoidea
Family:
Cassidae
Subfamily:
Cassinae
Genus:
Cassis
Subgenus:
Cassis
Species:
C. madagascariensis
Binomial name
Cassis madagascariensis
Lamarck, 1822
Synonyms

Cassis madagascariensis spinella Clench, 1944

Cassis madagascariensis, common name the queen helmet, is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Cassidae, the helmet shells and bonnet shells.[1]

Emperor/Queen Helmet Snail in the wild.

Distribution[]

This species occurs in the tropical Western Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The specific name "madagascarensis" literally means "of Madagascar", but this was a misunderstanding of the type locality by the original author.

Description[]

The maximum recorded shell length is 409 mm.[2]

Habitat[]

United States Virgin Islands, St. John. Emperor/Queen Helmet Snails frequently observed (photographed) in depths as shallow as two feet.[3] This contradicts the previously reported minimum depth of 3 m.[2] The maximum recorded depth is 183 m.[2]

Human uses[]

Cameo by Ascione manufacture, 1925, Naples, Coral and Cameo Jewellery Museum.

Shells of Cassis madagascariensis are used in jewellery to make cameos. In the Maldives the shell is boiled and the boiled water of the shell is used as a traditional remedy for Flu and fever like symptoms.

References[]

  1. ^ Rosenberg, G. (2015). Cassis madagascariensis Lamarck, 1822. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=419778 on 2016-01-05
  2. ^ a b c Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.
  3. ^ "Helmet Snail - Cassis tuberosa, Cassis madagascariensis - USVI Caribbean".
  • Rosenberg, G.; Moretzsohn, F.; García, E. F. (2009). Gastropoda (Mollusca) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 579–699 in: Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.

External links[]

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