Cassis cornuta
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| Cassis cornuta | |
|---|---|
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| A shell of Cassis cornuta | |
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| Five views of a shell of Cassis cornuta | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Littorinimorpha |
| Family: | Cassidae |
| Genus: | Cassis |
| Species: | C. cornuta |
| Binomial name | |
| Cassis cornuta | |
| Synonyms | |
Cassis cornuta, common name the horned helmet, is a species of extremely large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Cassidae, the helmet shells and their allies.[1]
The length of the shell varies between 50 mm and 410 mm. It is the largest of all helmet shells. It has a very solid, heavy, rotund shell with large, horn-like knobs and a wide, flat base. The shell has a dorsally pale orange colour, its base vivid orange, faintly marked with white and brown.[1]
Habitat
This large sea snail is found on sand and coral rubble, often around reefs.
Distribution
This species occurs in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, off the southern African coast from northern KwaZulu-Natal and from Mozambique,[2] as well as in the Pacific Ocean.
