Melongena corona

Melongena corona
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Family:	Melongenidae
Genus:	Melongena
Species:	M. corona
Binomial name
Melongena corona (Gmelin, 1791)
Synonyms
Cassidula corona (Gmelin, 1791) Fusus bicolor Say, 1826 (original combination) Hemifusus corona (Gmelin, 1791) (superseded combination) Hemifusus corona var. estephomenos Melvill, 1881 Hemifusus corona var. minor G. B. Sowerby III, 1879 Melongena altispira Pilsbry & Vanatta, 1934 Melongena belknapi Petit, 1852 Melongena bicolor (Say, 1826) Melongena corona altispira Pilsbry & Vanatta, 1934 Melongena corona aspinosa (Dall, 1890) Melongena corona bicolor (Say, 1826) Melongena corona corona (Gmelin, 1791 Melongena corona johnstonei (Clench & Turner, 1956) Melongena corona perspinosa Pilsbry & Vanatta, 1934 Melongena corona sprucecreekensis Tucker, 1994 Melongena corona f. altispira Pilsbry & Vanatta, 1934 (original combination) Melongena pyruloides (DeKay, 1843) Murex corona Gmelin, 1791 (original combination)

Melongena corona, common name the Florida crown conch, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Melongenidae, the crown conches and their allies.

Subspecies

• Melongena corona corona (Gmelin, 1791)
• Melongena corona winnerae Petuch, 2003

Description

The shell of this species is extremely variable in terms of the degree of spiny ornamentation. Some shells are much smoother than others. These snails can be as large as about 5 in (12 cm) long, and are mostly dark brown with irregular bands of white or cream. There are small spines on the largest whorl of the smoother forms,; the most spiny forms have several rows of spines. The aperture of the shell can be closed at will with an operculum. This snail is a predator; it eats other mollusks, including scallops.