Babelomurex cariniferus | |
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Apertural view of Babelomurex cariniferus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Neogastropoda |
Family: | Muricidae |
Genus: | Babelomurex |
Species: | B. cariniferus
|
Binomial name | |
Babelomurex cariniferus (
Sowerby I, 1834)
| |
Synonyms [2] | |
|
Babelomurex cariniferus, common name Babel's latiaxis, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. [2] [3]
Babelomurex cariniferus is present from the Mediterranean Sea to the west coast of Africa (Canaries, Cape Verde, Angola). [2] [4] [5] [6]
This species (as junior synonym Latiaxis babelis) is listed in the IUCN Red List, because it is thought to be endemic to Malta. [1]
These sea snails live in the coral reef among corals and sponges. They can be found from a few meters to more than 1000. [2] [7]
Shells of Babelomurex cariniferus can reach a size of 20–45 millimetres (0.79–1.77 in). [5] The shell surface may be whitish or dark greyish. [8] These shells are variably shaped. They show numerous flattened spires with very thorny axial ribs. The keels of the whorls are adorned with several spiniform scales. A corneous operculum is present. [7] [9]
This species is quite similar to Babelomurex benoiti, but Babelomurex cariniferus is more variable in feature and sculpture and differs in the number of spiniform scales. [10]
These uncommon infralittoral sea snails are specialist feeders. In fact they feed exclusively on the polyps of the colonies of scleractinian stony corals. [7] [11]
Babelomurex cariniferus | |
---|---|
Apertural view of Babelomurex cariniferus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Neogastropoda |
Family: | Muricidae |
Genus: | Babelomurex |
Species: | B. cariniferus
|
Binomial name | |
Babelomurex cariniferus (
Sowerby I, 1834)
| |
Synonyms [2] | |
|
Babelomurex cariniferus, common name Babel's latiaxis, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. [2] [3]
Babelomurex cariniferus is present from the Mediterranean Sea to the west coast of Africa (Canaries, Cape Verde, Angola). [2] [4] [5] [6]
This species (as junior synonym Latiaxis babelis) is listed in the IUCN Red List, because it is thought to be endemic to Malta. [1]
These sea snails live in the coral reef among corals and sponges. They can be found from a few meters to more than 1000. [2] [7]
Shells of Babelomurex cariniferus can reach a size of 20–45 millimetres (0.79–1.77 in). [5] The shell surface may be whitish or dark greyish. [8] These shells are variably shaped. They show numerous flattened spires with very thorny axial ribs. The keels of the whorls are adorned with several spiniform scales. A corneous operculum is present. [7] [9]
This species is quite similar to Babelomurex benoiti, but Babelomurex cariniferus is more variable in feature and sculpture and differs in the number of spiniform scales. [10]
These uncommon infralittoral sea snails are specialist feeders. In fact they feed exclusively on the polyps of the colonies of scleractinian stony corals. [7] [11]