''Ficus ficus'' or the paper fig shell is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

of sea snail, a marine gastropod

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is es ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Ficidae Ficidae, common name the fig shells are a family of medium to large marine gastropods. It is the only family in the superfamily Ficoidea. According to taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) the family Ficidae has no subfamilies ...

, the fig shells.

Distribution

''Ficus ficus'' is found in the Indian Ocean and the West Pacific.

Description

''Ficus ficus'' is an unusual shaped thin shell being somewhat pear-shaped with a long narrow aperture and four whorls. The spire is tiny. The shell may reach 5 ins (12 cm) in length. 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 ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

length is 145 mm.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. There is a trellis-like sculpture of fine striations on the pinkish surface. The inside is orange and there is no operculum. There is a large foot with two curved flaps near the head and a single long siphon.Paper Fig Shell: A Fragile, Shapely Beauty
Retrieved 2011-11-29.

Habitat

The minimum recorded depth for this species is 0 m.; maximum recorded depth is 176 m.

References

External links

Ficidae Gastropods described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Ficidae-stub