''Cassis madagascariensis'',

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

the queen helmet, is a marine

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusc Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...

in the family

Cassidae The Cassidae are a taxonomic family of medium-sized, large, and sometimes very large sea snails commonly called helmet snails or bonnet snails. These are marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Tonnoidea and the clade Littorinimorpha.Gofas ...

, the helmet shells and bonnet shells. It is known for being the largest species of its family in the Atlantic Ocean. This organism has 4 direct children, which include Cassis madagascariensis f. spinella Clench, Cassis madagascariensis spinella Clench, Cassis madagascariensis var. major Rigacci , and Cassis madagascariensis var. minor Rigacci.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 Helmet-snail 8679

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 Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

length is 409 mm. The organism does not have a vertebrae. Has a large and heavy shell, with a short spire.Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". '' PLoS ONE'' 5(1): e8776. . This shell typically has three rows of blunt knobs and smaller lines of spiral folds. It has an elongated aperture with folds on both sides of the inner aperture. This shell can vary in color from white to tan and sometimes has brown markings and blotches.

Habitat

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

Human uses

Shells of ''Cassis madagascariensis'' are used in jewellery to make cameos. In the

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

the shell is boiled and the boiled water of the shell is used as a traditional remedy for flu and fever-like symptoms.

References

* 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

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2941306 Cassidae Gastropods described in 1822