Summary ⁷

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

Description ⁸

The crown conch, Melongena corona, is a medium to large carnivorous gastropod with a low spire, large body whorl, and prominent vertical-curved white spines on the shoulder of each whorl that give the species its common name. It has a glossy shell that is brownish-grey to purple with white to yellow-white spiral bands. The columella is thick and white, and the operculum is robust and horny (Kaplan 1988, Rupert and Fox 1988).

39;s talk seashells! > melongena corona (gmelin, 1791) ⁹

Detailed description of all forms with photos of specimens from all but two of Florida's shoreline counties.

Size ¹⁰

Kaplan (1988) indicates that Melongena corona can attain lengths of greater than 200 mm, but most individuals are considerably smaller. The largest individuals, often exceeding 120 mm in length, are often found in association with oyster reefs while smaller animals dominate the intertidal flats (Boudreaux et al. 2006). Cannabalism has also been suggested as a strategy for achieving large size.

Look alikes ¹¹

Highly variable coloration, size, and shell architecture, and the physical discontinuity of habitat in which ) Melongena is found have led to considerable taxonomic debate as to the designation of distinct species and subspecies. Historically, a number of putative Melongena species and M. corona subspecies have been collectively been referred to as the "corona complex." Recent DNA sequence analysis conducted by Hayes (2003), however, provided no support for historic taxonomic subdesignations and indicated that the corona complex consists of the single polymorphic species M. corona.

Habitat ¹²

Depth range based on 2 specimens in 5 taxa.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 1 - 1
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this note. Your feedback is most welcome.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Bob Peterson, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/pondapple/8386471216/
2. (c) 2011 Marlo F. Krisberg, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=389779&one=T
3. (c) 2011 Marlo F. Krisberg, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=389780&one=T
4. (c) 2011 Marlo F. Krisberg, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=389781&one=T
5. (c) 2011 Marlo F. Krisberg, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=389782&one=T
6. (c) 2011 Marlo F. Krisberg, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=389783&one=T
7. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melongena_corona
8. (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526413
9. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/28413342
10. (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526419
11. (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526416
12. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/17329507

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SeaLifeBase
• World Register of Marine Species

Range Map

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